To: Editorial Writers Dear Editorial Writer: As you may know, the House and the Senate worked hard this summer to pass their own individual energy bills. After spending the fall negotiating over a final energy bill, it’s now time for Congress to give the American public an energy bill that we can all be thankful for. With oil nearing the $100-a-barrel milestone and poll after poll showing that Americans are eager for meaningful action on global warming, the pressure is on Congress to pass a final energy bill that flips the switch on the new clean energy economy. The high energy costs American families are facing could be the Grinch that steals Christmas. Gas is back over $3 a gallon again, with some analysts saying it could be on track to hit $4 as driving picks up again in the spring. Home heating oil prices have already risen to record highs well before winter’s coldest weather—and peak demand—has even set in. We can literally no longer afford our failed energy policies. While nothing will lower energy costs overnight, Congress can act now to pass an energy bill that puts us on the path toward a clean energy future and helps us shake our dangerous and costly addiction to oil. All the pieces are there, now Congress just needs to work together to pass a final energy bill that will bring America’s new energy future to life and make real progress in solving global warming before heading home for the year. By raising fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon and switching to solar, wind and other renewable fuels to provide 15% of our electricity, Congress will retain and create jobs, spark economic growth, save consumers money, cut pollution, succeed in making America more energy independent, and make real progress in reducing carbon emissions that are warming the Earth. The Senate’s version of the bill contains a provision to increase fuel economy standards for our cars, trucks, and SUVs to 35 miles per gallon by 2020—the first increase in more than 30 years. By requiring them to make the kinds of efficient vehicles Americans want, these standards will help the American automakers rebound against their foreign competitors. A report from Citigroup and the University of Michigan said the new fuel standard would increase sales and profits for American automakers. The energy bill also has the potential to create 22,000 American jobs in the auto industry alone, making for 178,000 new jobs total, according to a recent analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Consumers’ wallets will benefit, too, as UCS found that the Senate’s fuel economy provision would save consumers $25 billion at the pump by 2020. This bill will also significantly curtail our dangerous dependence on oil, helping to make America more energy independent. As the Washington Post noted on November 5th, one reason that the economy hasn’t suffered even more under the crushing weight of high oil prices is the strides we have made since the energy crisis in the 1970s to use energy more efficiently. If we hadn’t doubled fuel economy standards from 1975-1985, we’d be in far worse shape today. Raising them now will help us break our addiction to oil and put us on track toward a cleaner environment, more secure economy, and stable climate. The Senate’s increase in fuel economy standards will help make us more energy independent by saving us 1.2 million barrels of oil a day. To put that into perspective, bad weather in Mexico recently shut off just 200,000 barrels of production and the price of oil shot up several dollars. Establishing a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) will help fight global warming and spark economic growth and jobs creation by flipping the switch on the clean energy economy. The House bill requires that 15 percent of our electricity come from renewable sources like wind, solar and biomass by the year 2020. It will also create tens of thousands of new renewable manufacturing and installation jobs. This is evident in the 24 states like Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Iowa that have passed an RES and are already seeing hundreds—even thousands—of new jobs created as a result. By relying more on renewables and less on fossil fuels like natural gas, an RES will also help consumers and businesses save billions on their energy bills. Analysis from UCS indicates that consumers would save up to $18 billion on their energy bills by 2020. This savings grows to $27.7 billion by 2030--$8.6 billion for households, $12.6 billion for businesses, and $6.5 billion for industry. This bill makes real progress on solving global warming and the delay is inexcusable. Combining the best elements of both bills would, by 2030, get us nearly a fifth of the way toward making the kind of long term reductions in global warming pollution that we need, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). If Congress flips the switch and lights the way, this energy bill will take us in a new, forward-looking direction on energy and global warming issues. Instead of making the richest companies in the world even richer, this bill can be a win for the environment, a win for the economy, and, most importantly, a win for consumers and working Americans. We urge you to use your editorial voice to call on Congress to give us a bill before heading home for the year – to make it a meaningful energy bill that will flip the switch with the two key provisions: increased fuel economy and the Renewable Electricity Standard. Sincerely,
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