US Democratic Leaders Mull Ideas for Energy Independence

[Turborama]

Source: Voice of America


By Julia Ritchey

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore joined together in Washington Monday to urge the United States to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Officials at the conference say the United States needs to distance itself from volatile prices and the countries that provide the bulk of oil imports.

Former Vice President Al Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming, says the climate crisis, the economic crisis and national security challenges are exacerbated by our dependence on fossil fuels.

"The common thread running through all of them is our ridiculous over-dependence on dirty, dangerous, expensive, carbon-based fuels," he said. "Grab that thread and pull on it and all three of these crises begin to unravel. And we hold in our hands the answer which is a generational one-off investment to switch from an energy infrastructure that's based on these carbon-based fuels to a new infrastructure that's based on fuels that are free forever."

Those resources include wind, sun and geothermal power, the go-to clean energy sources that President Barack Obama and congressional leaders hope can be used to power American homes and businesses.

Read more: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-23-voa49.cfm

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Business, political leaders agree on keys to energy future

Source: Energy Current

WASHINGTON: At the "National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy" forum in Washington, D.C. today, leaders from government, business, labor and non-governmental organizations agreed today on four recommendations to reform U.S. energy policy. The principles would boost new renewable energy production, transmission and distribution, and reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

The leaders included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, energy executive T. Boone Pickens, Center for American Progress Action Fund President John Podesta, former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, among others.

The principles include: a national clean energy infrastructure is essential to drive economic recovery, create good jobs, increase national security, reduce oil use, and protect the global environment; a regional planning process can speed the siting and construction of new transmission lines that can deliver solar, wind, and geothermal electricity to meet growing demand for energy to power growth; "smart grid" technology and distributed generation of renewable energy can increase the transmission efficiency, and provide new information and tools to consumers to reduce their energy use, save money on energy bills, and cut global warming pollution; and investments in new infrastructure to support clean domestic alternative transportation fuels, such as natural gas and advanced biofuels, will cut America's dependence on oil and reduce global warming pollution.

"Developing clean renewable energy is a matter of economic and national security, making the discussion we had today important for Nevada and the nation," said Reid, who served as the event's Honorary Chair. "Many of the stakeholders who play a key role in this movement were in the room today including elected officials, cabinet members, and leaders in industry, labor and the environment. I look forward to our continued partnership to change our nation's energy policy in a way that creates jobs, protects consumers and the environment and provides reliable power that meets our growing needs."

Energy Secretary Chu stated, "It's clear from today's meeting that there is a growing consensus about the need to transform the way we use and produce energy. Starting with the investments in the President's Recovery plan, and building on many of the good ideas discussed today, we can create millions of new jobs, free ourselves from the grip of foreign oil, and address the global climate crisis."

Read More: http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=3&storyid=16278




Links to videos of the full proceedings have been posted, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x275647">here