BALTIMORE – Environment Maryland today launched a new campaign calling on congressional
candidates to support policies to move America 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 Brad Heavner, Executive Director of Environment Maryland. “We need leaders who support moving America 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 Heavner.
Environment Maryland is
asking all congressional 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 Maryland also
released a report today showing the benefits of these policies to America’s
environment, economy, and national security.
Environment Maryland 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 Heavner. “The result will be a
cleaner, more sustainable foundation on which to build America’s
economy for the 21st century,” continued Heavner.
Environment Maryland today
specifically called on Representative Ben Cardin and Lt. Governor Michael
Steele, both candidates for Maryland’s
open Senate seat, to support the goals of a New Energy Future.
“Marylanders want to put American innovation and ingenuity
to work to solve our energy problems,” stated Heavner. “By supporting these goals, Cardin and Steele
can help make the promise of a New Energy Future a reality,” concluded Heavner.
Over the next six weeks, Environment Maryland will work with
State PIRGs and 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.
