There are only a few weeks left for Congress to agree on clean energy legislation. Illinois's Senators and Representatives need to hear from you now.
This year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an energy bill that would dramatically accelerate the development of clean wind and solar energy resources. Meanwhile, the Senate passed automobile fuel economy standards that would make our cars more efficient, and reduce oil consumption.
Both of these measures are important for national security, the economy and the environment. However, both of these bills will die unless the two houses agree on identical provisions before the end of the year.
Tell your U.S. Congressman and Senators to send a clean energy bill to the President's desk by the end of the year. Click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser to take action. Then, ask your friends and family to help out by forwarding this message on to them.
https://www.environmentillinois.org/action/global-warming/cleanenergypetition?id4=ES
BACKGROUND
America is the most technologically and economically advanced nation in the world, blessed with vast natural and intellectual resources.
Our nation has a track record of responding to major challenges and achieving once unthinkable goals. If any nation in the world is capable of creating an energy system that can fuel our economy while preserving our environment and our long-term security, it is us.
Unfortunately, our energy policies are holding us back. We are too dependent on oil, much of it from foreign sources, which threatens our national security. We rely heavily on coal. But mining coal causes severe environmental damage and burning it releases large amounts air pollution; which contributes to global warming, acid rain, mercury contamination and unhealthy air. Nuclear power has been tried and found wanting for economic, environmental and public safety reasons. To make matters worse, virtually every year, Americans consume more and more energy.
Right now, America is failing to take advantage of our almost unlimited potential to generate electricity from renewable sources of energy like wind and solar power.
* The wind blowing through the Great Plains could generate enough electricity to power the entire country. Wind power installations in the United States have doubled over the last four years, and wind power is among the cheapest sources of new power generation in some parts of the country.
* Solar energy could conceivably generate more than enough electricity to power the entire United States. The cost of solar panels has declined dramatically in recent years and solar power installations worldwide nearly doubled between 2002 and 2004. Continued advances in solar technology could bring solar power within reach of more Americans within the next several years.
* Plant-based sources of energy, called "biomass," already provide a substantial amount of energy in America and can provide even more. A federal advisory group has set a target of having biomass account for 5 percent of industrial and electric generator energy use by 2020.
* Immense amounts of energy are contained within the earth. Experts estimate that as much as 100,000 megawatts of geothermal power -- equal to about 10 percent of today's electricity generation capacity -- could be economically viable in the United States.
For America to retain our economic vigor, national security and environmental health, we must build toward a New Energy Future -- one based on homegrown, environmentally friendly energy sources and the sensible use of energy throughout the economy. We have the tools to achieve a better energy future -- in the technological prowess of academia and industry, in the cutting-edge public policies now being pioneered in states across the country, and in our vast reserves of energy from the sun, wind and crops.
We're asking citizens to join us in calling on Congress to adopt a Renewable Electricity Standard that would require that utilities generate at least 20 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2020.
Wind power could provide as much as 30 percent of America's electricity by 2025 and possibly more as new technologies and practices allow for us to successfully integrate more wind power into America's electricity mix.
Solar and geothermal power can combine to produce another 12 percent of America's electricity, while an assortment of other renewable technologies -- ranging from solar hot water heaters to geothermal heat pumps -- can also make an important contribution.
Additional renewable energy could be generated using new technologies such as wave and tidal power or by achieving technological improvements that would enable us to expand our use of other renewable energy sources.
Tell your Senators to insist upon a new energy future. Click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser to take action. Then, ask your friends and family to help out by forwarding this message on to them.
https://www.environmentillinois.org/action/global-warming/cleanenergypetition?id4=ES
Sincerely,
Rebecca D. Stanfield
Environment Illinois State Director
RebeccaS@environmentillinois.org
http://www.environmentillinois.org
P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this with your family and friends
