For Immediate Release
January 18, 2007

Contact:
Rachel Sauter, 202-675-2380

  Sierra Club Praises House for Shifting Priorities from Big Oil to Cleaner
                                   Energy

Washington, DC:   The Sierra Club today praised members of Congress on both
sides of the aisle for taking America on the path toward a cleaner, more
secure energy future.  By a vote of 264 to 163, the House today voted to
repeal giveaways to Big Oil and instead invest money in the smart energy
solutions that will benefit the American people.

"On Election Day 2006, Americans rejected the dirty politics wrought by Big
Oil's deep pockets and the dirty outdated technologies," said Melinda
Pierce, Sierra Club director of National Campaigns.  "By supporting this
part of the 100 Hours Agenda, the new Congress upholds the pledge made
during the election to end corruption, bring about change and bring America
closer to a cleaner, safer energy future."

While American families have had to cope with skyrocketing energy costs,
ExxonMobil and other oil companies raked in record profits-due in no small
measure to the generous giveaways engineered by President Bush and his
allies in Congress.  These included provisions that allowed oil companies
to deduct oil and gas exploration costs, deductions that make oil and gas
activities eligible for manufacturing tax breaks, and a loophole that
allowed oil and gas companies to escape paying some royalties in deep water
Gulf of Mexico.

"The new Congress took an important first step by repealing the billions of
dollars in unnecessary subsidies given to outdated energy industries and
redirecting the money to programs that benefit American jobs and families,
help end our dangerous oil dependence, and put us on the path toward real
energy security," said Dave Hamilton, director of Sierra Club's Global
Warming and Energy Program.

Congress should now enact and extend several incentives that directly
benefit American families and businesses while reducing our global warming
emissions, and help break our addiction to oil.  Increasing incentives for
hybrid cars, efficient appliances and green buildings will reduce energy
consumption-eliminating the need for new, costly and potentially dirty
power plants-reduce emissions, and save businesses money on their energy
bills.  Many similar incentives exist or could be created to encourage
investments in renewable energy.  Businesses and consumers understand that
these investments are economically advantageous and environmentally
beneficial in the long-term; however, higher initial often act as a
barrier.  By using incentives to lower the initial costs, Congress can help
develop markets and a regulatory environment that dramatically increase
investments in efficiency, renewables, and other technologies that directly
benefit American families and consumers while protecting our environment
and climate.

As part of the Change America Now coalition, Sierra Club activists have
been working to support the 100 Hours Agenda in districts across the
country.


David Willett
National Press Secretary
Sierra Club
(202) 675-6698 (w)
(202) 491-6919 (m)
[log in to unmask]
www.sierraclub.org

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