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Continuing to rely on oil keeps us from securing energy independence. Oil keeps the U.S. vulnerable to foreign countries we need to provide our oil - not to mention the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions oil produces. Gas prices just hit a record high and the cost of residential heating oil has more than doubled since 2004. |
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The costs of coal are exorbitant - coal is a major contributor to global warming and a primary cause of respiratory disease and mercury poisoning. Digging for coal destroys our mountains and landscapes with destructive mining practices, all while jeopardizing drinking water and heavily impacting low-income communities. |
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Generating electricity from nuclear sources poses at least four insurmountable problems: The production of highly dangerous radioactive waste, the prohibitively high cost, the potential for accidents and the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. Add those problems to the major hazards of uranium mining and its disproportionate impact on Native Americans - and nuclear power is a no-go. |
 As you'll see in the following pages, there are many who would have us remain addicted to oil and coal and build more nuclear power plants.
But there are also leaders at all levels - from communities, businesses, and local governments - who have already chosen to shift toward clean energy and fighting global warming via energy efficiency initiatives, use of alternative energy power sources, and common sense conservation. These leaders are reaping the benefits of these steps in the form of significant savings, new jobs, and big cuts in carbon emissions.
We need to tell our elected officials to be leaders on this issue and make the switch to a clean energy economy - and we have that opportunity in the 2008 elections.
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