DEMAND CONGRESS PASSS THE ENERGY SAVINGS AND INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS ACT 18SEP13

OUR waste of energy contributes to the destructive forces of global warming and climate change. Congress actually has legislation pending, endorsed by many industries and environmental groups, including the NRDC, LCV, Sierra Club and Earthjustice, that addresses rampant energy waste and actually creates tens of thousands of desperately needed jobs here in the U.S. Please sign the petition to Congress demanding this legislation be passed. Here is the link to all the endorsements of this legislation http://www.shaheen.senate.gov/priorities/issues/energy/The%20Energy%20Savings%20and%20Industrial%20Competitiveness%20Act%20Endorsements.pdf

There’s a bill on the floor of the Senate with the power to create 136,000 new jobs while saving American families and businesses close to $14 billion a year.

It’s bipartisan legislation that moves America another step closer to energy independence and away from our reliance on foreign oil by encouraging the use of energy efficient technologies in American homes, businesses and by the federal government.

But The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act is stalled thanks to the the extreme partisan tactics of a few who are standing in the way of its passage.

Will you join me and Senators Shaheen, Coons, Gillibrand, Pryor, Schatz and Udall to call on Congress to pass this energy bill now?

We waste a shocking 86% of the energy we consume. It’s huge problem and increased energy efficiency is the fastest, cheapest way to start solving it.

This bill is good for the environment, good for job-creation, and good for our wallets -- all without adding a penny to the deficit.

A broad coalition of business and environmental groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Club, have lined up to support this bill -- but it’s still stuck.

We need your support to move it forward. Please join me and tell Congress to come together and pass this bill to reduce waste and create jobs.

There’s too much at stake to allow this bill to fall victim to the usual gridlock and hyper-partisan dysfunction. I need your voice today.

Thanks for all you do,

Mark Warner

Special update from NRDC's President: State of the Union 14FEB13

THE NRDC is one of the sponsors of the Forward on Climate Rally in D.C. on 17 FEB 13. This from NRDC's President, Frances Beinecke....

President Strengthens His Call for National Climate Action From Frances Beinecke's Blog: On Tuesday night, I had the honor of sitting in the House Chamber and hearing President Obama give a full-throated call for climate action in his State of the Union Address. "For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change," he said. He urged Congress to develop bipartisan legislation to promote clean energy and curb carbon emissions. But the president was unmistakably clear: “If Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.” It was exhilarating to be in the “People’s House” and listen to the president commit to protecting Americans from the ravages of climate change. Many of the great debates of our time took place within these walls, including the deliberations that led to our bedrock environmental laws. Yet even those esteemed lawmakers who passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act could not have imagined the scale of the environmental threat now before us. Unchecked climate change endangers our environment, our communities, our health, and our economy. It demands a comprehensive approach, and President Obama laid out some of the most critical elements of such an approach on Tuesday night. As the audience applauded the president’s call to climate action, I sensed the historic significance of this moment. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Midwestern drought, and the record breaking heat that consumed our nation, Americans of all walks of life agree we must tackle this challenge today. Now we have a president who is making the fight against climate change a central part of his second term and his legacy. With public momentum behind him, the president can make real and lasting progress. And that progress will lead to a stronger nation. I thought it was significant that President Obama put climate action squarely within his plan for revitalizing our nation’s economy. Enhancing America’s manufacturing sector, producing energy that does not contribute to climate change, and revitalizing our infrastructure are opportunities that will lead to innovation and prosperity. This isn’t just about solving an environmental challenge; it’s about moving our country forward. It begins with reducing dangerous carbon pollution. The best tool the president has to achieve this is the Clean Air Act. The law gives him the authority to reduce carbon emission from power plants—the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gases. NRDC has laid out a flexible, cost-effective proposal for how the Environmental Protection Agency can use the Clean Air Act to cut these emissions by 26 percent by 2020 and generate an estimated $25 billion to $60 billion in health and climate benefits by 2020. The president also said America must dramatically expand our abundant wind and solar energy resources, cut in half the amount of energy we waste in homes and business—a proposal that generated great enthusiasm throughout the House Chamber last night—and invest in low-carbon technologies. These are proven solutions that are already delivering clean energy and putting Americans to work. Wind energy now accounts for nearly half of all new installed energy capacity and more than 150,000 Americans have jobs building clean cars that go farther on a tank of gas. And according to the bipartisan Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy, doubling our energy efficiency over the next two decades would create 1.3 million jobs, reduce carbon pollution by one-third, and deliver more than $1,000 in annual savings for every U.S. household. These are the building blocks of a sustainable energy future. The dirty fuels of the past have no place in that future. Producing tar sands oil, for instance, generates three times as much greenhouse gas emissions as conventional crude—and that’s even before we burn it in cars and trucks. To honor his climate commitments and move our country down a cleaner path, President Obama must reject the Keystone XL pipeline for dirty tar sands oil. We need an “all of the above” strategy to combat climate change, taking every step to reduce carbon pollution. The American people have made it clear they want to move forward not back. Immediately after the State of the Union, Public Policy Polling conducted a survey for NRDC about the President’s remarks about climate change. Sixty-five percent of Americans think climate change is a serious or very serious problem, and 60 percent support the president using his authority to reduce dangerous carbon pollution. More and more Americans are joining the chorus for climate action. You can add your voice by clicking here.Together, we can push for real change. A month ago I sat on the platform during the Inaugural Address and heard the president describe the urgent need to protect Americans from the ravages of climate change. Last night he confirmed his commitment. Now it’s time to put public support and concrete action behind those rousing words.

Mitt Romney As Governor Pushed For More Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs 22MAR12

HERE is just a bit of the environmental record "gov" mitt romney is trying to hide from, including his comments on high gas prices, energy efficient light bulbs and other energy saving products as well as government tax credits for consumers purchasing energy efficient products and government regulations mandating increased fuel efficiency for all vehicles. Oh mitt, this is more from your past that can't be erased like an Etch-A-Sketch!

WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney's effort to turn up the heat, so to speak, on President Barack Obama over the issue of rising gas prices has had various elements and layers. He's called for Obama to fire top cabinet officials; ridiculed the president's reluctance to approve critical portions of the Keystone pipeline; and denounced the burden of government regulations.
In one recent campaign stop, Romney accused the president of banning "Thomas Edison's [incandescent] light bulb."
On Thursday morning, The New Republic did a deep dive into Romney's record as a governor and discovered that he pursued many of the same policies he now denounces: While in Massachusetts, Romney responded to high gas prices by stressing that they were a result of the global market. He pursued policies of conservation and vehicle efficiency. He even went so far as to suggest high gas prices would have a positive effect on consumer behavior.
"I don't think that now is the time, and I'm not sure there will be the right time, for us to encourage the use of more gasoline," Romney said, according to the Quincy Patriot Ledger's report at the time. "I'm very much in favor of people recognizing that these high gasoline prices are probably here to stay."
As for those incandescent light bulbs, Romney's statement has been challenged by fact-checkers, who note that the bill that requires minimum efficiency standards for those bulbs was signed into law by President George W. Bush. Obama has subsequently blocked Republican attempts to repeal the law.
But while Romney may be opposed to the federal government regulating minimum standards for the light bulb market, he certainly wasn't opposed to the government promoting energy-efficient light bulb use itself.
In his 2004 Climate Protection Plan, Romney pledged that Massachusetts would work with other states "to foster legislation and other approaches" that would encourage energy efficiency standards for many products, including "Torchiere lighting." Elsewhere in that proposal, he noted that "lighting accounts for 20 to 25 percent of all electricity consumed in the U.S," and that improvement in this field "offers a significant opportunity for the state and for municipalities to save energy and money."
"To that end, the state is working with other states to assist municipal officials to encourage the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), high-efficiency street lighting, or other energy-saving lighting technologies," the plan reads.
A search of Lexis-Nexis also reveals that in late November 2005, Romney signed a bill that gave families a $600 tax credit for the purchase of energy-efficient products. The bill, as The Boston Globe reported at the time:

will raise the minimum energy efficiency standard for residential boilers and furnaces, incandescent reflector lamps, and laptop computer power cords -- something Rhode Island, New York, and several other states have done. Such a measure could have a dramatic long-term effect in reducing energy consumption in Massachusetts, and even the country as a whole, Romney said. "This is going to be paying dividends for the people of Massachusetts for a long, long time to come, and we're not finished," he said.

(emphasis added) A month and a half before he signed that bill, meanwhile, Romney joined then-Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman for an "Easy Ways to Save Energy" campaign that included, among other suggestions, "replacing existing light bulbs with Energy Star qualified fluorescent lights." The full press release announcing the campaign is below.

DEDHAM, MA -- With higher home heating costs expected this winter, U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney today highlighted easy, inexpensive ways consumers can save money by reducing home heating bills. This visit to New England is Secretary Bodman's first stop on the national "Easy Ways to Save Energy" campaign. "As a longtime Boston resident, I know how tough New England winters can be," Secretary Bodman said. "Because of tight oil and natural gas markets and the damage to our energy infrastructure caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, consumers can expect to see higher energy bills this winter. There are, however, simple, inexpensive, yet extremely effective measures consumers can take to reduce their energy bills."
"As a state, Massachusetts and its people have led the way in pursuing energy efficient programs for our homes and businesses," said Romney. "This year, it's especially important for consumers to know that winter doesn't have to burn a hole in their wallet. Families can save hundreds of dollars by following some common sense tips."
Secretary Bodman and Governor Romney's visit to Lowe's also highlights the company's October 8, 2005 kick off of energy saving How-To Clinics at its 1,200 stores nationwide. Held each Saturday at 1 p.m., these clinics aim to educate consumers about the many ways they can conserve energy and money this winter.
In launching the national "Easy Ways to Save Energy" campaign on Monday, October 3, 2005, Secretary Bodman announced that the Department of Energy will take a comprehensive approach to improving energy efficiency for consumers, businesses and the government. The campaign features: For Consumers:

• An informative "Energysavers" guide outlining easy ways to improve home energy efficiency available through the Department of Energy, or, online at www.energysavers.gov;
• An aggressive public education effort including online, print, radio and television ads featuring the "Energy Hog" - a character similar to McGruff the Crime Dog and Smokey the Bear;
• An "Energy Hog" curriculum to be used by teachers in grades 3-8 featuring web-based games and take-home activities;
• A series of radio public service announcements in English and Spanish featuring energy saving tips that have been distributed to 4,500 stations across the United States;
• For Business:
• Industrial Energy Saving Teams that will be dispatched to help improve the efficiency of 200 of America's most energy-intensive factories;
• Department of Energy is making the Energyavers guide available to be reprinted and distributed by manufacturers, retailers and local utilities;

For the Federal Government:

• Secretary Bodman has directed teams of qualified energy experts to deploy to federal facilities to identify quick and easy ways to save energy this winter. The federal government is the largest consumer of energy in the United States.
• Easy tips for consumers include:
• Making sure your home is properly insulated. Proper insulation in attics, ceilings, floors, crawlspaces and exterior and basement walls can save 30 percent on home heating bills;
• Installing a programmable thermostat. Turning down a thermostat from 72 to 65 degrees for eight ours a day will save up to 10 percent on your heating bill;
• Replacing existing light bulbs with Energy Star qualified fluorescent lights in the lamps and fixtures in your home; this can save up to 50 percent on lighting costs.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/mitt-romney-light-bulbs_n_1372892.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNotifications