Now Is the Time to Unleash the Power of Clean Energy

“Today, members of Congress have the opportunity to take an historic step toward a new clean energy economy and a healthy future by voting for the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

“Right now, America is hooked on dirty fossil fuel energy sources of the past that threaten the health of our children, cause global warming, and drag down our economy. We need a dramatic shift in energy policy.

“The dire scientific predictions regarding global warming demand that we do more than this bill will do, but the first step is always the hardest and Congress will be applauded for taking it today. We learn to walk before we can run; this historic act by Congress gets us up on our feet and heading toward a clean energy economy.

“It is time to unleash the power of clean energy to transform our economy, protect our environment, put people back to work, and build a sustainable future. We can make our homes and businesses so efficient that they use zero-net energy. We can harness wind and solar power for the energy we do need. We can transport ourselves in American-made plug-in hybrid cars that get 100 miles to the gallon.

“The increased energy savings spurred by this legislation will save Americans tens of billions of dollars on their energy bills. The new incentives in the bill for clean, renewable energy such as wind and solar will make our communities more energy independent, and the investments in advanced vehicle technologies will help break our addiction on oil. This bill will set the first ever federal limits on the pollution that causes global warming.

“There are many more steps to be taken on the path to a clean energy economy. We can and we must use dramatically less energy; all the energy we do use needs to come from clean, renewable sources; we need to cut our dependence on oil in half; and we must hold polluters truly accountable for cutting their global warming pollution.

“By passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act today, we can take that pivotal first step toward the clean energy transformation that this nation, and the world, needs. We urge every member of Illinois’s congressional delegation to vote for this bill.

“Tomorrow, we look forward to building even more support for even stronger solutions.”

###