April 28, 2009: Volume VII, #17
"We may not need any, ever. I think baseload capacity is going to be an anachronism." |
In this issue
1) Take Action: Call on Congress to Support Clean Energy Jobs 2) Take Action: Help Complete the Big Picture 3) Change: Coming on Strong 4) Victory: Cleaning Up Coal Dust |
1) Take Action: Call on Congress to Support Clean Energy Jobs
We have an opportunity right now to move clean energy legislation in both the House and Senate. These bills will establish a 25 percent renewable electricity standard by 2025 and a national energy efficiency standard (EERS) that will improve efficiency by 15 percent for electricity and 10 percent for natural gas. Passing this legislation will establish strong standards for renewable energy and energy efficiency that will create jobs and reduce global warming pollution.
Call on Congress today to support clean energy jobs.
2) Take Action: Help Complete the Big Picture
Last week over 20,000 people sent a letter thanking EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for the recent endangerment finding -- the first time the EPA has acknowledged that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare.
The finding was officially published last Friday, meaning we now have 60 days to submit official comments to demonstrate that there is broad public support to fight global warming and create a clean energy economy in the U.S.; please submit your comment today!
3) Change: Coming on Strong
A major effort has been announced in Miami-Dade County Florida to green the county. Installing solar panels on educational facilities, investing in hundreds of new plug-in vehicles and placing smart meters in people's homes are just a few pieces of this massive undertaking, funded in part by President Obama's stimulus package. The effort is expected to create hundreds of jobs and help customers lower their energy bills.
Check out these videos to see how other places are making progress and going green.
4) Victory: Cleaning Up Coal Dust
Residents in Virginia could soon get relief from high levels of dust caused by coal mining operations. Just days after the Sierra Club and Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards released a report highlighting the toxic effects of coal dust on human health in the region, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board voted unanimously not only to work to clean up the coal dust problem in Southwest Virginia, but also to examine the impacts of coal dust, especially on health, throughout the coalfield region.