Include an RES!
The media is reporting that, in just a few days, the U.S. Senate will begin consideration of a slimmed-down energy bill without a renewable electricity standard (RES). The energy bill is purported to include provisions dealing with the oil spill, energy efficiency upgrades, natural-gas-powered trucking fleets, and land and water conservation.
Although the U.S. wind fleet now offsets nearly 62 million tons of carbon dioxide annually – equivalent to taking 10.5 million cars off the road – the 2010 numbers are looking dismal, with only about 700 megawatts (MW) added to the grid in the 2nd quarter. The industry needs an RES to survive and prosper.
An RES was passed in the House of Representatives ACES Act (H.R. 2454) last year, as well as in the Senate Energy & Resources Committee over a year ago. So why is the Senate now turning its back on American workers and our new energy future?
AWEA CEO Denise Bode said, “A refusal to pass an RES is an attack on every American worker and consumer. Not passing an RES endangers at least 360,000 jobs: 85,000 currently employed in the wind industry and the potential 274,000 additional jobs created by an RES.”
This may be our last hope of passing legislation needed to save tens of thousands of American jobs in one of our country’s fastest-growing industries. Please TAKE ACTION NOW AND CALL YOUR SENATORS to tell them that you support inclusion of an RES in the energy bill.