The word on the Hill…

07/19/2007

Dear DFLer,

I just got back from Capitol Hill, and I have important news to share with you. According to my contacts, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to bring an energy bill to the House floor any day now.

This bill includes important clean energy and energy efficiency provisions, and when it comes to the House floor we hope the House will vote to add two vital components that will increase our fuel efficiency and create more renewable electricity. By adding these amendments on the House floor, this forward-looking bill will further decrease our dangerous reliance on fossil fuels and reduce global warming pollution.

Not surprisingly -- many big utilities and the big automakers are already gearing up to oppose amendments that will add these key provisions.

We can't let them stop us!

Our chance to make cars more fuel efficient and increase renewable electricity could come any day now. Tell Representative Walz to support these amendments TODAY!

Just last month, concerned citizens -- like YOU -- spoke out, and the Senate listened. We won a critical victory to increase fuel efficiency to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. With your help we can do it again in the House, and increase our use of renewable electricity to 20% by 2020.

Special interests are pressuring Congress to keep us addicted to coal and oil. They'll rack up profits while we pay high energy prices and our planet suffers. We need to make sure your Representative knows how important it is to support the bi-partisan Markey-Platts fuel efficiency and Tom Udall-Platts renewable electricity amendments.

These amendments are essential if we are going to:

- Combat global warming. Increasing our fuel efficiency and use of renewable electricity are key steps toward reducing global warming pollution that is leading us toward disaster. The window to act is closing -- we have to act now!

- Cut energy prices. Increased fuel efficiency will save American consumers millions of dollars at the pump, and increasing our use of renewable electricity will save billions of dollars on electricity and natural gas bills.

- Reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Making cars more efficient would make us less dependent on oil, and increasing our use of renewable electricity means we would rely more on clean energy from the sun, wind, and crops.

Tell Representative Walz how important the fuel efficiency and renewable electricity amendments are to our future.

After decades of stalemate and inaction, we are finally making progress on energy policies that make sense. These are two of the simplest solutions to our planet's problems. We have the technology to make it possible.

We just need the House to take action. So make sure your Representative hears from you today!

Thank you,

Tiernan Sittenfeld
Legislative Director
League of Conservation Voters