Sustainable Energy Coalition Urges Bush To Support Clean Energy Bill, Not House Plan

1/30/2002

From: Susanna Drayne of the Sustainable Energy Coalition, 202-293-2898

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- The Sustainable Energy Coalition today expressed its strong disapproval of President Bush's energy plan as contained in his State of the Union speech last night and urged passage of a comprehensive clean energy solution.

"The Bush Administration should listen to its own rhetoric and 'set aside posturing and focus on results' by supporting energy efficiency and cleaner, renewable energy policies," said Susanna Drayne, Sustainable Energy Coalition spokesperson. "The president pays lip service to conservation, but he continues to insist that we drill our way to energy dependence. A strong clean energy bill is what this country needs to improve the economy, decrease support on foreign oil, and clean up the environment."

The Coalition rejected the president's call to pass H.R. 4, which gives fully three-fourths of $33.5 billion in energy tax credits to fossil fuel and nuclear power industries. Said Drayne, "The House bill sets back national energy policy with handouts to already profitable and mature industries. It relies on dirty, expensive, and dangerous fossil fuels and nuclear power. The United States has 3 percent of global oil reserves but accounts for 25 percent of global demand, and no amount of drilling at home will enable us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. A sound energy policy should give priority to increasing energy efficiency in every sector of our economy and greatly expanding use of our abundant renewable energy resources."

The president summarized his principles as the following: "Good jobs also depend on reliable and affordable energy. This Congress must act to encourage conservation, promote technology, build infrastructure, and it must act to increase energy production at home so America is less dependent on foreign oil." The Coalition agrees with the principles but disagrees with his means. It called on Congress to reject H.R. 4's strategy of continued reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power and pass instead a comprehensive package of clean energy policies that includes:

-- Increased standards for fuel economy of cars and lights trucks; -- Increased energy efficiency standards for appliances; -- A Systems Benefit Fund to assist states in improving the energy efficiency of the electric system; -- Standards for the production of electricity generated from renewable power and for the production of renewable fuels; -- Tax incentives to encourage the commercialization of clean energy technologies; and -- Increased investments in clean energy research and development programs.

Said Drayne, "Together, these policies would decrease energy consumption; increase energy production of domestic renewable, not finite resources; and enhance energy security by promoting fuel diversity and expanding the use of small-scale, dispersed technologies."

The Coalition sees a decided jobs benefit from clean energy policies. A recent study commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund, found that by implementing a package of clean energy policies, this country would realize a net employment increase of over 700,000 jobs in 2010, rising to more than 1 million by 2020. Other benefits would include sharply reduced carbon emissions and oil consumption, and billions of dollars more in wage and salary compensation. A recent report by the Renewable Energy Policy Project compared jobs created per $1 million in investment for coal, solar photovoltaics (PV), and wind, and found that wind and PV create 40 percent more jobs per $1 million in investment than coal. "Both the coal and utility industries have been bleeding jobs at the same time that energy output has been increasing," said Drayne. "So if Bush's goal is job creation, he is targeting the wrong sectors."

"America needs a 21st Century energy policy that goes well beyond the 'more-of-the-same' formulations of the oil, auto, coal, and nuclear industries," concluded Drayne. "The President needs to stop talking the talk on efficiency and renewables and state walking the walk by supporting clean energy policies. H.R. 4 is dirty, unsafe and expensive."