[Gulf Coast Kat-Cop] FW: [CLEAN] Sign-on: Letter to President re: Clean Energy Legislation
Rachel Harris
*Apologies for cross-posting*
From: Corey Shott
[mailto:sho...@nwf.org]
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 11:04 AM
To: cl...@lists.usclimatenetwork.org;
uscan...@lists.usclimatenetwork.org
Subject: [CLEAN] Sign-on: Letter to President re: Clean Energy
Legislation
Colleagues -
Clean Energy Works is taking the lead in circulating a letter to the President
asking for his leadership now to move the country beyond dirty fossil fuels and
into a new clean energy economy.
The letter is for national, state and local organizations, elected officials
and other opinion leaders to sign on in support of immediate action for a
comprehensive approach to energy and climate change. The horrendous and growing
disaster in the Gulf is not just an accident, it is the inevitable consequence
of our dependence on dangerous forms of energy.
Language of the letter is pasted below and on the sign-up form:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE5uSjh3eVhwS3VXVFBxMzBvZ0NIclE6MQ
The deadline is Monday
May 10, 9pm EST. For more information, contact Hea...@saveourenvironment.org
or iv...@environmentamerica.org.
Please consider distributing to your affiliates, local/state chapters and
various networks.
Thank you,
~Corey
Corey Shott
Legislative Coordinator, Clean Energy Works Campaign
Legislative Representative, National Wildlife Federation
Phone: 202.797.6632
Dear Mr. President,
Over the past year, you’ve been a leader in trying to create a balanced and
broadly
supported energy policy that prioritizes clean energy. In light of the massive
and
ongoing environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, we applaud your decision
to put
expanded offshore oil drilling on hold.
The images of oil burning off the Louisiana coast are rightfully disturbing to
Americans in
the same way images of the Cuyahoga River ablaze was almost exactly 40 years
ago.
Facing what could become the greatest environmental disaster in our history,
the
American people are increasingly angry about the real costs of dirty and
dangerous
fossil fuels to the environment and the economy, not to mention the real costs
in terms
of lives lost.
This deadly disaster reminds us of the danger of our existing dependence on
fossil fuels,
and that the need for safer and cleaner energy alternatives has never been more
clear
or urgent. Add to that the risks to our soldiers and broader national security
because of
our dependence on oil and the time for a transition to a clean energy economy
is now.
America’s continued dependence on dirty sources of energy represents a failure
of
political leadership over the last 30 years. Without leadership, the current
debate in
Congress over our energy future will represent another failed chapter to make
the
fundamental changes America needs.
Mr. President, you were elected, in part, based on a promise to everyday
Americans
that you would bring change to our energy future; a transition to a new clean energy
economy that creates jobs, reduces our dependence on oil and makes our nation
more
secure by cutting greenhouse gas pollution. While in office you have taken many
important steps to act on your vision of creating a clean energy economy
including the
enactment of stronger fuel efficiency standards; passing major new investments
in clean
energy; and directing the Environmental Protection Agency to tackle the threat
of
climate change.
But those steps alone will not be sufficient to realize the transformative
change we all
seek. Making good on your promise will require that you put the full weight of
your
office behind an urgent campaign to move America beyond dirty energy and to
usher in
a clean energy economy, while holding polluters accountable for the costs of
their
pollution.
So, Mr. President, we ask you to urgently convene all stakeholders and lead the
effort to
craft a comprehensive clean energy and climate policy that will be enacted this
year and
will move America toward energy independence built on clean American power.
Sincerely,