LISTSERV - IOWA-TOPICS Archives - LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2009
CONTACT: Josh Dorner, 202.675.2384

           Senate Energy Bill Falls Short on Clean Energy, Jobs
Sierra Club Opposes Current Bill After Weakening in Committee Undermines
     Clean Energy Jobs, Promotes Aggressive Offshore Drilling Program

Washington, D.C.--Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
reported the "American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009." Sierra Club
announced its opposition to the bill in its current form and offered the
following comments.

          Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director

"Numerous changes to this bill during consideration by the committee have
significantly undermined its integrity and ability to build the clean
energy economy. Unfortunately, we must oppose this legislation in its
current form. While it makes positive strides in setting new energy
efficiency standards for our buildings and appliances, it falls far short
of what President Obama has called for in order to repower America with
renewable energy, create millions of new clean energy jobs, and fight
global warming. It needs to be significantly strengthened as it moves to
the Senate floor, where we believe there is majority support for
considerably stronger clean energy policies.

"In particular, we are deeply disappointed with the Renewable Electricity
Standard (RES) reported by the committee. It lacks a separate energy
efficiency requirement, is even weaker than the compromise provision in the
House clean energy jobs plan, and will not result in more clean energy and
clean energy jobs than the status quo. It was also significantly
compromised by changes to its structure and the addition of dirty energy
sources like coal mouth methane and municipal solid waste incineration.
The worst changes could also mean no new clean energy or energy efficiency
at best, and could even be used to fund the development of coal and nuclear
energy.

"We are also very dismayed that restrictions passed by Congress just two
years ago in order to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to purchase
dirty, dangerous, destructive, and expensive liquid coal and tar sands
fuels are partially repealed by this bill. Tar sands oil is the dirtiest
oil on earth. Liquid coal is twice as polluting as standard fuels. They
have no place in America's new clean energy economy, and they certainly
have no place in any serious clean energy legislation.

"Another area of very serious concern is the bill's offshore drilling
provision. Chairman Bingaman had struck a reasonable, balanced approach
for moving forward in this very contentious area. Regrettably, this
approach was discarded in favor of an aggressive drilling plan that will
put our coasts at risk, feed our addiction to oil, and do nothing to help
build the clean energy economy--all while benefitting Big Oil.

"Chairman Bingaman and many others support strengthening the bill on the
Senate floor. We will seek improvements that will allow the bill to
actually deliver more clean energy, slash energy waste, create new clean
energy jobs, and speed our transition away from dirty coal and oil toward
cleaner, cheaper energy sources like wind and solar. We look forward to
offering our support to a final bill that achieves these critical goals and
lives up to its title."