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National Day of Action for Clean Energy next Tuesday
Join over 100 groups and companies demanding that Congress support a clean energy economy! |
Next Tuesday, May 20th, is a National Day of Action for clean energy!
On that day, members of over 100 clean energy support groups, environmental groups, and companies working to bring about the clean energy revolution will be contacting their legislators to demand that they take this, their ‘last best’ chance, to pass legislation that will keep the revolution alive.
Solar Nation is working with groups like The Sierra Club, Environment America, Vote Solar, the Natural Resources Defense Council and many more to bring this day of concentrated action about. It’s a case of ‘all hands to the pump’.
Why?
Congress has been trying unsuccessfully for a year now to extend tax credits for individuals, businesses and developers who invest in clean power; the credits expire at the end of this year, and it’s estimated that over a hundred thousand jobs and some $20 billion in investment will disappear if this happens (see the report here). According to our sources in the industry, these losses have already started to take their toll on the solar sector.
What would this legislation do for clean energy and energy efficiency?
- It would significantly reduce costs for individuals, businesses and developers trying to make use of such power sources as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and fuel cells.
- It would reward those who take steps to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses, or who build new energy-efficient homes.
- It would encourage manufacturers to produce high-efficiency appliances.
- It would allow for bonds to be provided to finance certain renewable energy projects.
So, if the legislation is so clearly beneficial, why the difficulty in passing it?
It’s because, until very recently, House leadership has insisted on funding the tax credits from oil & gas industry profits, an idea that the Senate has successfully resisted. But in its latest form (HR 6049), the legislation would be funded from other, less contentious sources. The bill has just passed out of the House Ways & Means Committee, and is expected to pass the House in due course. Its final fate will rest upon the willingness of both chambers in Congress to find a mutually acceptable way to fund it. And the National Day of Action is intended to remind Congresspersons just how important it will be for our future to find that common ground now.
So watch your e-mail on Tuesday; that’s when we’ll ask you to reach out to your legislators on the National Day of Action for clean energy!
See the full text of the new bill here.
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