"Give us an energy policy for the future, not the past!"
October 19, 2008
Dear Mr. Alesch:
I am writing to ask your support for an energy policy that will provide a cleaner, greener, and more competitive economy for our children's future. Climate change is a serious concern for me and I urge you to support an energy policy that will:
INVEST IN CLEAN ENERGY. Critical to any serious energy policy, wind and solar energy represent homegrown sources of electricity that can do the job now. We need to extend tax credits for wind and solar project for ten years and build the infrastructure to get power from where it is produced to our population centers.
MAKE CARS CLEANER. We need to increase the corporate average fuel economy to 60 MPG and create strong incentives for consumers to buy plug-in hybrids.
BUILD EFFICIENT BUILDINGS. Invest in making existing buildings use half of the energy they use now and move to zero-emissions for new buildings. A 2007 report by the US Department of Energy found that energy efficiency measures can reduce our nation's energy demand growth by 50 percent by 2025. More ambitious studies by the Rocky Mountain Institute report we can achieve 75 percent by 2020.
CREATE GREEN JOBS. Implementing these recommendations will create thousands of good jobs in the United States which cannot be outsourced. Buildings can't be made efficient by workers overseas, solar energy can't be outsourced, and all Americans benefit when a clean energy policy delivers jobs, energy security, and a clean environment all at once.
LEAD LARGE-SCALE, RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY. States, businesses and homeowners need a rapid expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. This will not be possible unless the federal government leads the way, providing infrastructure and investment opportunities commensurate with the scale needed to stop the climate crises.
STOP DRILLING OFF THE COAST. America's coastlines and protected areas should remain pristine and accessible to all. Subsidies should be transitioned from the oil and gas industry to renewable energy and the green jobs it brings.
NO NEW COAL PLANTS. From carbon dioxide to mercury emissions, coal is the number one polluter in this country. It is time to confront the climate crises, scrap our plans for new coal plants, and instead invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
NO LOAN GUARANTEES FOR NUCLEAR PLANTS. Nuclear power has not proven itself to be a sound investment without government-backed loan guarantees. Now is not the time a new generation of risky nuclear power plants. We can get our energy from cleaner sources which do not produce radioactive waste and threaten our communities.
Now is the time to support energy legislation that will solve the climate crises, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, revitalize our economy, and create good jobs in America. I hope I can count on your support.
Sincerely,
Patricia
RESPONSE:
Patricia,
Thank you for your letter. I am in 100% agreement with the points listed below. I have a robust energy plan outlined on my Web site at:
http://www.votesteve.org/media/20080924.shtml
In this plan, I call for extending consumer tax credits for hybrids until 55% of the cars on the road are hybrids, with higher rebates for cars assembled in the U.S. I also call for CAFE standards to be raised to 60mpg by 2012.
For homeowners, I support extending the solar credits so that our nation's energy grid can be fed by solar energy, instead of coal and nuclear.
I'm in support of expanding mass transit, including the Metra STAR line, which will reduce traffic. I would support a moratorium on funding new highways.
NUCLEAR ENERGY
I am the only candidate in this race against any expansion of nuclear energy. I am particularly against my Republican opponent Rep. Judy Biggert's plan to bring a nuclear waste reprocessing facility to Chicago's southwest suburbs.
My Democratic opponent, Scott Harper, in an article in the latest Downers Grove Sun, says that he is open to nuclear as well. Both my opponents are wrong on this issue, and their support for nuclear energy could have dangerous implications for our health and our future.
DOMESTIC OFF-SHORE DRILLING
Both of my opponents are in favor of more drilling for oil. However, expanding our drilling will not get us any closer to a sustainable energy economy, it ruins the environment and it jeopardizes our national security. Right now, we are highly dependent on foreign oil. Squandering all of our domestic oil reserves now will only make us 100% dependent on foreign oil in the future, and that's going to put our economy and our national security at risk.
Unlike my opponents, I believe we simply cannot take the easy way out. We must make serious investments in cleaner energy, and that will require members of Congress who are going to get tough and make it happen. I will be a staunch advocate in Congress for these changes, and I ask for your vote.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss these important topics. Please let me know if you have any other questions. And, please consider voting Green on November 4.
Sincerely,
Steve Alesch
Green Party Candidate for Congress, 13th district