Noting that the President has, on multiple occasions, stressed the important role to be played by energy efficiency and renewable energy in meeting the nation's future energy needs, the letter's signers added: "We share your view" and urged that "as your Administration develops its Fiscal Year 2007 budget request, we urge that you use this opportunity to put your words into action."

Specifically, the 22 Republican, 1 Independent, and 103 Democratic Members recommended that the President "develop a request that fully funds the energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies at the levels authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005." The energy bill authorizes $632 million for renewable energy programs and $865 million for energy efficiency in FY07 -- substantially more than the levels likely to be approved for these programs for FY06.

In particular, the Members called upon the Administration to "retain the core programs that have historically been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [including] the advanced hydropower program as well as the wind, geothermal, and concentrating solar programs in addition to the buildings, industry, and vehicles efficiency programs." These programs are among those rumored to be targeted for deep cuts or possible elimination in the FY07 budget request.

The full text of the letter and the list of signers follows.

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The Sustainable Energy Coalition is a coalition of more than 90 national and state-level environmental, business, consumer, and energy policy organizations founded in 1992 to promote increased use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

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November 8, 2005

Dear Mr. President:

In the weeks leading up to final congressional approval of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, you noted on multiple occasions the important role to be played by energy efficiency and renewable energy in meeting the nation's future energy needs.

We share your view.

Additionally, the last few months have starkly highlighted our nation's reliance on vulnerable energy resources. Here again, energy efficiency and renewable energy can have the most immediate and longest lasting effect on energy availability and prices. Therefore, as your Administration develops its Fiscal Year 2007 budget request, we urge that you use this opportunity to put your words into action.

In particular, we recommend that you develop a request that fully funds the energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies at the levels authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Likewise, we urge that the Renewable Energy Production Incentive program be fully funded. Immediate and enhanced attention to these efforts to reduce our demand on fossil fuels such as natural gas and petroleum are our nation's best means of addressing a secure energy future.

For this reason, we also recommend that you retain the core programs that have historically been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. These would include the advanced hydropower program as well as the wind, geothermal, and concentrating solar programs in addition to the buildings, industry, and vehicles efficiency programs.

A budget request that fully funds the range of federal sustainable energy programs will go a long way toward meeting the nation's goals of reducing energy imports and controlling energy prices while also improving the economy, national and homeland security, and the environment and public health.

We look forward to working with you on this important endeavor.

Sincerely,

1.) Mark Udall
2.) Roscoe Bartlett
3.) Gary Ackerman
4.) Thomas Allen
5.) Brian Baird
6.) Tammy Baldwin
7.) Charles Bass
8.) Melissa Bean
9.) Shelley Berkley
10.) Howard Berman
11.) Tim Bishop
12.) Earl Blumenauer
13.) Sherwood Boehlert
14.) Sherrod Brown
15.) Lois Capps
16.) Michael Capuano
17.) Benjamin Cardin
18.) Dennis Cardoza
19.) Russ Carnahan
20.) Julia Carson
21.) Ed Case
22.) William Lacy Clay
23.) Jim Costa
24.) Elija Cummings
25.) Susan Davis
26.) Peter DeFazio
27.) Diana DeGette
28.) Rosa DeLauro
29.) Mike Doyle
30.) Lane Evans
31.) Sam Farr
32.) Michael Fitzpatrick
33.) James Gibbons
34.) Wayne Gilchrest
35.) Charles Gonzalez
36.) Bart Gordon
37.) Raul Grijalva
38.) Jane Harman
39.) Alcee Hastings
40.) Stephanie Herseth
41.) Brian Higgins
42.) Maurice Hinchey
43.) Rush Holt
44.) Michael Honda
45.) Steny Hoyer
46.) Jay Inslee
47.) Steve Israel
48.) Sheila Jackson-Lee
49.) Eddie Bernice Johnson
50.) Nancy Johnson
51.) Timothy Johnson
52.) M. Kennedy
53.) Patrick Kennedy
54.) Dale Kildee
55.) Mark Kirk
56.) John Kline
57.) Dennis Kucinich
58.) James Langevin
59.) Tom Lantos
60.) Rick Larsen
61.) Steven LaTourette
62.) Jim Leach
63.) Barbara Lee
64.) Sander Levin
66.) John Lewis
66.) Dan Lipinski
67.) Frank LoBiondo
68.) Nita Lowey
69.) Stephen Lynch
70.) Carolyn Maloney
71.) Edward Markey
72.) Jim Matheson
73.) Doris Matsui
74.) Carolyn McCarthy
75.) Betty McCollum
76.) Jim McDermott
77.) James McGovern
78.) John McHugh
79.) Michael McNulty
80.) Robert Menendez
81.) Michael Michaud
82.) Brad Miller
83.) George Miller
84.) Dennis Moore
85.) James Moran
86.) Grace Napolitano
87.) Richard Neal
88.) James Oberstar
89.) John Olver
90.) Major Owens
91.) Frank Pallone
92.) Donald Payne
93.) Collin Peterson
94.) Todd Platts
95.) Rick Renzi
96.) Silvestre Reyes
97.) Tim Ryan
98.) John Salazar
99.) Linda Sanchez
100.) Loretta Sanchez
101.) Bernard Sanders
102.) Jim Saxton
103.) Janice Schakowsky
104.) Adam Schiff
105.) Debbie Wasserman Schultz
106.) Allyson Schwartz
107.) Bobby Scott
108.) Christopher Shays
109.) Robert Simmons
110.) Louise McIntosh Slaughter
111.) Adam Smith
112.) Christopher Smith
113.) Vic Snyder
114.) Hilda Solis
115.) Fortney Stark
116.) Ellen Tauscher
117.) Lee Terry
118.) Mike Thompson
119.) John Tierney
120.) Tom Udall
121.) Chris Van Hollen
122.) Diane Watson
123.) Henry Waxman
124.) Lynn Woolsey
125.) David Wu
126.) Albert Wynn
(22 Rs, 103 Ds, 1 I)

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