Senate Urged to Join States in Charting a Clean Energy Future

Statement of Environment America Global Warming
Advocate Timothy Telleen-Lawton on the Senate Environment and Public Works
hearing, "Clean Energy Jobs State/Local Views":

"For
more than a decade, the states have been at the forefront of the race to a
clean energy future. Today, Environment America urges the Senate to build on
the success in the states and move America toward a clean energy economy.

"Environment
America
and its federation of 28 state environment groups have worked to enact a
variety of clean energy policies across the country. For example, 29 states
have already adopted laws requiring a percentage of their electricity to come
from wind, solar, and other clean, renewable sources. These and other policies
are jump-starting a shift to clean energy jobs. According to a new report by
Environment California, the state's solar market has more than doubled in
three years. There were an estimated 500 solar roofs in California three years
ago. Today, there are nearly 50,000 statewide.

"Twenty
nine states have adopted modern efficiency standards that save consumers money
on their energy bills while cutting pollution. Eighteen states have caps on
global warming pollution in their state or are participating in regional
compacts to reduce pollution.

"Visionary
leadership by the U.S. Senate should spark an energy transformation that puts
millions of Americans to work in new green jobs - building wind turbines,
installing solar panels, weatherizing homes, and laying a smarter electric grid
that will power our new energy economy. It's time for the Senate to do
its part to unleash the power of clean energy and pass a bill that puts
millions of American to work in clean energy jobs, reduces our dependence on
oil and cuts global warming pollution."

See
our a map
of state clean energy and global warming pollution policies.