ANSING, MI
– The Sierra Club is running radio ads this week urging Senators
Levin and Stabenow to support an energy bill that reduces our
dependence on oil and protects special places like the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. The Sierra Club expressed disappointment
that Senator Levin and Stabenow chose not to require Detroit to make
more technologically advanced and fuel efficient vehicles among
other key energy votes.
The ad notes that America needs "to loosen the grip oil-producing
nations have on us, to make responsible plans for the future that
employ better technology and American know-how to decrease our
dependence on oil." The ad calls on Levin and Stabenow to fix the
current energy bill, which does nothing to reduce our dependence on
oil, promote renewable energy technology and could sacrifice special
places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"The energy bill is unacceptable in its current form," said Dan
Farough, Political Director of the Michigan Sierra Club. "As it
stands now, the Senate energy bill does nearly nothing to reduce our
consumption of foreign oil, to increase our energy security, to
create jobs with cutting edge technology, or to safeguard our
environment. The Senate bill is looking more and more like its evil
Enron-inspired twin which passed the House and must be stopped."
The Senate energy bill began as a promising vehicle for meeting
our nation's energy needs. However, many of the oil-saving measures
were removed. Senators voted against raising corporate average fuel
economy (CAFE) standards, which is the single biggest step we can
take to reduce our dependence on oil and improve our energy
security. Senators also rejected a measure that would have increased
the amount of electricity produced by clean, renewable sources like
wind and solar power, replacing it with an amendment that does
little to promote renewable energy and counts municipal waste
incineration as renewable.
The Sierra Club, joined by the Michigan Environmental Council,
took the MI Senators to task for their role in blocking fuel
efficiency standards. "Senators Levin and Stabenow are not only
preventing the nation from addressing our dependence on foreign oil,
they are putting the US auto industry at risk by letting foreign
manufacturers jump ahead of us in fuel efficient technology, just
like in the 70s and 80s," said Lana Pollack, President of the
Michigan Environmental Council.
The Sierra Club and the Michigan Environmental Council are
hopeful that Senator Levin and Stabenow will work to safeguard the
Arctic Wildlife Refuge and our other natural treasures, reduce
America's oil consumption by one million barrels a day, guarantee
that at least 10 percent of our electricity supplies come from
renewable energy resources, ensure that electricity consumers will
not be ripped off by more Enrons, and reduce rather than increases
pollution of our air, water and land.
"Levin and Stabenow missed a major chance to move our nation
forward, to use technology and American know-how to make real
progress in reducing our oil dependence, saving consumers money, and
cutting global warming pollution," said Pollack "Critical amendments
remain and there is still a chance that the Senate will take the
right road. Unless the bill is fixed, it's unacceptable as energy
policy and should be defeated."
