FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6 February 2008
CONTACT: Josh Dorner, 202.675.2384

                 Minority Filibusters Clean Energy--Again
  Tax Incentives to Spur Growth in Green Jobs, Kickstart Economy Blocked

Washington, D.C.--This evening by a vote of 58 to 41 (including a negative
vote by Majority Leader Reid for procedural reasons), the Senate failed to
overcome a Republican-led filibuster to advance an economic stimulus
package that includes important clean energy incentives--a key addition to
the package passed by the House last week.  This is the third time in the
past seven months that the Republican leadership has blocked a package of
clean energy tax incentives.

          Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director

"A strong, bipartisan majority in the Senate showed tonight that it
understands that a strong economy and a clean environment go hand in hand.
Unfortunately, a determined and short-sighted minority has once again
decided to block progress.  This minority has decided that partisan
politics are more important than enacting the policies that we urgently
need--policies supported by the vast majority of the American people.

"Failing to quickly renew these clean energy incentives will snuff out one
of the few bright spots in our troubled economy.  75,000 hardworking
Americans stand to be thrown out of work in the wind industry alone unless
Congress acts.  Instead of lifting the economy up, some Senators have
apparently decided to kick it while it’s down.

"The American people are clamoring for renewable energy and the thousands
of jobs it has been prove to create and we will continue to work with our
leaders in Congress to extend these essential clean energy incentives as
soon as possible.  Neither our economy nor our environment cannot afford
further delay."

------
For details on how a strong investment in renewable energy can create over
820,000 new jobs at thousands of existing firms across the country, please
visit:
www.sierraclub.org/bluegreenjobs

The clean energy incentives included in the Senate version of the economic
stimulus package include:

The $5.7 billion package includes quite a few goodies:
·     1-year extension of the Production Tax Credit--$3 billion
·     Solar, fuel cell, and microturbine investment credits--$130 million
·     Clean Renewable Energy Bonds--$400 million
·     High-efficiency appliance credits--$323 million
·     Energy efficiency credits for new homes--$61 million
·     Energy efficiency credits for home retrofits--$1.5 billion
·     Energy efficiency credits for commercial buildings--$153 million

                                   # # #
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubsribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp