Leaders need to vote for energy conservation bills

In this mention

Rev. Douglas Hunt of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy urges Tennessee Senators Alexander and Corker to vote for HR 5351, a renewable energy incentives bill that would restore support for energy conservation and efficient technologies while eliminating $13 billion in corporate subsidies to oil companies. The letter criticizes the senators' December 2007 vote that eliminated renewable energy incentives and calls on Tennessee voters to pressure their representatives to support clean energy development and reduce fossil fuel dependency.

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Leaders need to vote for energy conservation bills

Dear Chronicle:

Tennessee senators need to vote, not just talk, conservation.

Senators Alexander and Corker have recently made statements expressing their support for energy conservation. If our senators are serious, they need to vote to reverse the actions they took in December 2007 that eliminated, by just one vote, incentives and supports for developing, producing and consuming renewable energy and more efficient technologies.

The House of Representatives has again passed a renewable energy incentives bill (HR 5351) that restores a variety of incentives for developers and consumers of products that save energy and reduce global warming pollution. This bill will soon be considered by the Senate and Alexander and Corker need to support and vote for it.

This bill also eliminates $13 billion in corporate welfare payments to oil and other producers such as ExxonMobil and Chevron with record $40.6 billion with $18.6 billion in profits the produce green house gas polluting fossil fuels that Senators Alexander and Corker voted to protect in December.

Incentive programs in Tennessee, California and many other states have demonstrated that government-supported research and development into new and innovative sources of energy and alternative fuels generate green jobs and local income. And in these days of global climate change and a slowing economy such investments in the future seem much better bets than supporting polluters by picking taxpayer pockets.

Tennessee voters need to let Sens. Alexander and Corker know that they want to end corporate welfare for oil companies and restore incentives to encourage the development and use of products that will help the Tennessee economy and end our dependency on fossil fuels while reducing our emissions of global warming pollution.

Sincerely,

Rev. Douglas Hunt
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Knoxville