PORTLAND—Environment Maine today launched a new campaign calling on all state and congressional candidates to support policies to move America and Maine beyond oil and toward a cleaner energy future.
“There is no question that America has the know-how to reduce our dependence on oil and move toward a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said Jennifer Andersen of Environment Maine. “We need leaders who support moving America and Maine in a new direction that puts our national security, our environment, our global climate, and our children’s futures above Big Oil and other powerful interests,” continued Andersen.
Environment Maine is asking all congressional and state legislative candidates to deliver on the promise of a New Energy Future by committing to support policies that help the U.S. achieve four key goals:
• Reduce U.S. dependence on oil by saving one-third of the oil we use today by 2025;
• Harness clean, renewable, homegrown energy sources for at least one quarter of all energy needs by 2025;
• Save energy with high performance homes, buildings and appliances so that by 2025 we use 10 percent less energy than we do today; and
• Invest in a New Energy Future by tripling research and development funding for the energy-saving and renewable technologies we need to achieve these goals.
Environment Maine Research & Policy Center also released a report today showing the benefits of these policies to America’s environment, economy, and national security. Environment Maine Research & Policy Center found that achieving these goals, by 2025 would enable the United States to:
• Save 10.8 million barrels of oil per day, equal to four-fifths of the amount of oil we currently import from all other nations in the world.
• Save 9.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year, nearly twice as much as currently used in all of America’s homes.
• Save 900 million tons of coal per year, or about 80 percent of all the coal consumed in the United States in 2005.
• Save 1.7 billion megawatt-hours of electricity per year, 30 percent more than was used in all the households in America in 2005.
“The potential payback from these efforts is tremendous,” said Andersen. “The result will be a cleaner, more sustainable foundation on which to build America’s economy for the 21st century,” continued Andersen.
“Considering the adverse health impact on respiratory status, cardiac function and neurodevelopment from particulates and toxics produced by burning fossil fuels, it is clear that making better energy choices today will improve our health for generations to come,” observed Peter Wilk, M.D, Co-President of the Maine chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Environment Maine today specifically calls on all federal and state legislative candidates to support the goals of a New Energy Future.
Mainers want to put American innovation and ingenuity to work to solve our energy problems,” stated Andersen. “By supporting these goals, Maine’s federal and state candidates can help make the promise of a New Energy Future a reality,” concluded Andersen.
Over the next six weeks, Environment Maine will work with State Public Interest Research Groups and other State Environment groups across the country to build support for the goals of the New Energy Future in more than 50 of the highest profile congressional races.
The full text of the report and the New Energy Future goals are available at www.environmentmaine.org.
