Full Report
Maryland’s Energy Future Is At Stake
Maryland is facing an energy crisis. Energy costs are rising. Pollution from fossil fuel use threatens our health and contributes to global warming. And America’s dependence on imported energy puts our economy and national security at risk.
Maryland voters in the 1st District have a clear choice this November in the election for U.S. Congress. Frank Kratovil is a leader in embracing a new energy future for America – one in which we use energy wisely and get more of our energy from clean, homegrown renewable sources.
For a clean energy future that can protect our environment and rejuvenate our economy, Maryland voters should elect Frank Kratovil in his race for Congress against Andy Harris.
America’s Energy Crisis
For too long, America has relied on dirty, dangerous and unstable sources of energy. Our overdependence on fossil fuels has hurt our environment, our health, and our economy.
- America imports 58 percent of our oil from abroad – up from 27 percent in 1985 – threatening our economy and our national security.[1]
- The United States is the world’s leading global warming polluter, largely due to our reliance on coal-fired power plants. On a per capita basis, America’s economy produces twice as much carbon dioxide as Japan or Great Britain, five times as much as China and 18 times as much as India.[2]
- America spends twice as much each year on gasoline as we did five years ago. That’s an additional $200 billion per year sucked out of Americans’ pocketbooks, with much of it sent to unfriendly regimes overseas.[3]
- Energy consumption contributes to a host of environmental and public health problems: mercury pollution of waterways, unhealthy air in our cities, public safety threats from aging nuclear reactors and stockpiles of spent nuclear fuel, and many more.
The Solution: A New Energy Future
There is hope, however. America can embrace a new energy future in which we use energy more wisely and get more of our energy from clean, homegrown renewable sources. Indeed, we have the technology today to dramatically reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and curb our dependence on imports. For example:
- The technology exists to make our cars and trucks go much farther on a gallon of gasoline. Automakers could achieve a fleet average of 40 mpg within 10 years with existing technology.[4] And new technologies like plug-in hybrids could produce cars that get 100 mpg or more – cars that could be available within the next few years.[5]
- America could cut its use of energy by 25 to 30 percent over the next two decades – while saving money – by improving the energy efficiency of our homes and businesses.[6]
- America has enough renewable energy potential to supply all of our electricity needs.[7] America has doubled its wind-power generating capacity in just the last two years[8], and we’ve also doubled the amount of energy we generate from solar panels on rooftops.[9] But that’s just the beginning: more than two dozen states, including Maryland, have committed to getting an increasing share of their energy from renewable sources.
- Investing in clean energy can also renew America’s economy. Renewable energy alone accounts for more than 440,000 jobs in the United States.[10] And investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy keeps our energy dollars at home rather than sending them overseas.
The 2008 Election and Our Energy Future
Maryland’s next Congressional delegation will cast key votes on a host of important energy issues that will face the new Congress. Big Oil and other powerful industries will use their clout to push policies that pad their profits while keeping America addicted to fossil fuels. If America is to move toward a new energy future, we must elect leaders who are capable of standing up to powerful interests and putting Americans first.
If we send him to Congress, Frank Kratovil can be one of those leaders.
Andy Harris: An Opponent of Clean Energy
Andy Harris has been one of the most outspoken opponents of clean energy proposals in the Maryland General Assembly. Not only does he vote against clean energy bills, he often leads the fight against them.
As a member of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Harris has been in a key position to kill clean energy proposals, and he has used that position powerfully.
In 2004, he was one of only nine senators voting against creation of a renewable energy standard. Since then, he has voted seven times against expanding the program. He was one of only three senators voting against creation of the state’s solar energy grant program. He fought hard against landmark bills to reduce pollution from cars and power plants. He opposed efforts to require the state to buy more hybrid cars for its vehicle fleets. And he has worked to defeat multiple bills promoting green buildings.
In his campaign for Congress, Andy Harris has run television ads portraying himself as a champion of clean energy. His own legislative record, however, points in the exact opposite direction.
Frank Kratovil: The Right Choice for Maryland’s Energy Future
Frank Kratovil is committed to being a leader in fighting for a clean energy future for America that can protect our health, reduce global warming pollution, save consumers money and rejuvenate our economy. By electing Frank Kratovil to the U.S. House of Representatives, Maryland voters can ensure that they have a champion fighting for their interests – and not those of Big Oil – in the critical energy battles that face the next Congress.
About Environment Maryland
We all want clean air, clean water and open spaces. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That's the idea behind Environment Maryland. We focus exclusively on protecting Maryland’s air, water and open spaces. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.
