Clean Energy News

 

 

 

Atlanta—Environment Georgia called on incumbents and candidates for Georgia’s congressional delegation to support policies to move Georgia and the nation beyond oil and coal and toward a cleaner energy future.

“There is no question that we have the know-how to reduce our dependence on oil and move toward a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said Jennette Gayer, an advocate with Environment Georgia.  “We need leaders who support moving in a new direction that puts our security, our environment, our global climate, and our children’s future ahead of the oil companies and other powerful interests,” continued Gayer.

Environment Georgia is asking all incumbents and candidates for Georgia’s congressional delegation to deliver on the promise of a New Energy Future by committing to support policies that:

• Reduce U.S. dependence on oil by saving one-third of the oil we use today by 2025;

• Harness clean, renewable, homegrown energy sources for at least one quarter of all energy needs by 2025;

• Save energy with high performance homes, buildings and appliances so that by 2025 we use 10 percent less energy than we do today; and

• Invest in a New Energy Future by tripling research and development funding for the energy-saving and renewable technologies we need to achieve these goals.

To demonstrate the potential payback from these solutions, Environment Georgia also released a report today showing the benefits of these policies to America’s environment, economy, and national security.  Environment Georgia found that achieving these goals, by 2025 would enable the United States to:

• Save 10.8 million barrels of oil per day, equal to four-fifths of the amount of oil we currently import from all other nations in the world.
• Save 9.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year, nearly twice as much as currently used in all of America’s homes.
• Save 900 million tons of coal per year, or about 80 percent of all the coal  consumed in the United States in 2005.
• Save 1.7 billion megawatt-hours of electricity per year, 30 percent more than was used in all the households in America in 2005.

“The potential payback from these efforts is tremendous,” said Gayer.  “The result will be a cleaner, more sustainable foundation on which to build America’s economy for the 21st century,” continued Gayer.

Environment Georgia today specifically called on Congressional Representative James Marshall and Candidate Mac Collins in Georgia’s 8th district and Congressional Representative John Barrow and Candidate Max Burns in Georgia’s 12^th district to support the goals of a New Energy Future. 

“Georgians want to put American innovation and ingenuity to work to solve our energy problems,” stated Gayer.  “By supporting these goals, Reps. Marshall and Barrow and Candidates Max Burns and Mac Collins can help make the promise of a New Energy Future a reality,” concluded Gayer.

Over the next six weeks, Environment Georgia will work with State PIRGs and State Environment groups across the country to build support for the goals of the New Energy Future in more than 50 of the highest profile congressional races.