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Executive Summary
As the new home of Illinois PIRG's environmental work,
Environment Illinois can be contacted with any questions regarding this report.
The Senate energy bill began,
under Senator Daschle's leadership, as a promising vehicle for meeting our nation's
energy needs, cutting oil dependence, diversifying our energy portfolio, saving
consumers money and otherwise forging a path to a clean energy future. It contained
important provisions to boost fuel economy standards, address global warming,
improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy sources.
But as it stands today, the bill has been weakened by a series of amendments
supported by industries that stand in the way of technology and progress. Several
Senators and their industry allies are crafting additional amendments to make
the bill even worse. In its current form, the Senate energy bill fails to reduce
our dependence on imported oil, fails to significantly increase our nation's
overall energy security, fails to protect electricity consumers, and fails to
safeguard our environment.
At a minimum, comprehensive
energy legislation should adhere to the following core principles:
- Reduce consumption of
oil by at least one million barrels a day by 2013;
- Protect the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, roadless areas in our public lands, and other wild places
from oil and gas development;
- Guarantee that at least
10 percent of our electricity supplies come from new, clean renewable energy
resources by 2020;
- Cut taxpayer-funded handouts
to dirty energy industries;
- Decrease pollution to
our air, land and water; and
- Provide a reliable electricity
system with adequate consumer protections that will save consumers money and
increase energy efficiency.
This bill does not meet
those minimum, basic standards. It takes us backward, not forward. The Senate
energy bill is unacceptable in its current form. We call upon Senators to oppose
further attempts to pollute this bill with amendments to drill in one of our
last pristine wilderness areas, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, increase
dirty energy subsidies, or weaken environmental protections. Instead, a forward-thinking
energy policy should advance America's energy security by curtailing our dependence
on dirty and unreliable energy sources, tapping into our vast potential for
clean renewable energy, and dramatically increasing energy efficiency.
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