Jason Altmire: Clean energy

Full Report

Pennsylvania’s energy future is at stake

Pennsylvania is facing an energy crisis. Energy costs are rising. Pollution from fossil fuel use threatens our health and contributes to global warming. And America’s dependence on imported energy puts our economy and national security at risk.

Pennsylvanians in the 4th district have a clear choice this November in the election for U.S. Congress. Rep. Jason Altmire has been a leader in embracing a new energy future for America—one in which we use energy wisely and get more of our energy from clean, homegrown renewable sources. His opponent, former Rep. Melissa Hart, has pushed Big Oil’s agenda in Congress and worked to block clean energy solutions for America.

For a clean energy future that can protect our environment and rejuvenate our economy, Pennsylvanians should re-elect Jason Altmire to Congress.

America’s energy crisis

For too long, America has relied on dirty, dangerous and unstable sources of energy. Our overdependence on fossil fuels has hurt our environment, our health, and our economy.

• America imports 58 percent of our oil from abroad—up from 27 percent in 1985—threatening our economy and our national security.[1]

• The United States is the world’s leading global warming polluter, largely due to our reliance on coal-fired power plants. On a per capita basis, America’s economy produces twice as much carbon dioxide as Japan or Great Britain, five times as much as China and 18 times as much as India.[2]

• America spends twice as much each year on gasoline as we did five years ago. That’s an additional $200 billion per year sucked out of Americans’ pocketbooks, with much of it sent to unfriendly regimes overseas.[3]

• Energy consumption contributes to a host of environmental and public health problems: mercury pollution of waterways, unhealthy air in our cities, public safety threats from aging nuclear reactors and stockpiles of spent nuclear fuel and many more.

The solution: A new energy future

There is hope, however. America can embrace a new energy future in which we use energy more wisely and get more of our energy from clean, homegrown renewable sources. Indeed, we have the technology today to dramatically reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and curb our dependence on imports. For example:

• The technology exists to make our cars and trucks go much farther on a gallon of gasoline. Automakers could achieve a fleet average of 40 mpg within 10 years with existing technology.[4] And new technologies such as plug-in hybrids could produce cars that get 100 mpg or more—cars that could be available within the next few years.[5]

• America could cut its use of energy by 25 to 30 percent over the next two decades—while saving money—by improving the energy efficiency of our homes and businesses.[6]

• America has enough renewable energy potential to supply all of our electricity needs.[7] America has doubled its wind-power generating capacity in just the last two years,[8] and we’ve also doubled the amount of energy we generate from solar panels on rooftops.[9] But that’s just the beginning: more than two dozen states, including Pennsylvania, have committed to getting an increasing share of their energy from renewable sources.

• Investing in clean energy can also renew America’s economy. Renewable energy alone accounts for more than 440,000 jobs in the United States.[10] And investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy keeps our energy dollars at home rather than sending them overseas.

The 2008 election and our energy future

Pennsylvania’s next congressional delegation will cast key votes on a host of important energy issues that will face the next Congress. Big Oil and other powerful industries will use their clout to push policies that pad their profits while keeping America addicted to fossil fuels. If America is to move toward a new energy future, we must elect leaders who are capable of standing up to powerful interests and putting Americans first.

In his time in Congress, Rep. Jason Altmire has shown that he is one of those leaders.

Jason Altmire: A champion for clean energy

Rep. Jason Altmire has consistently supported policies that will bring Pennsylvania and America toward a new energy future. As a freshman member of Congress, Altmire:

• Voted to increase gas mileage standards for cars,[11] a move that will cut gasoline consumption by 8.5 billion gallons a year in America by 2020. This move will save Americans more than $26 billion each year at the pump.[12]

• Voted for strong energy efficiency standards for appliances, equipment and lighting[13] that will save enough energy by 2020 to power more than 1 million Pennsylvania homes.[14]

• Voted for producing more of our energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar power and for extending federal incentives for clean energy.[15] These policies would expand upon the clean energy boom that has seen the construction of more than 150 wind turbines in Pennsylvania in the last five years alone.[16]

• Voted to take away tax breaks from Big Oil and use that money to support a transition to a clean energy future.[17] One recent study found that Pennsylvania could create 86,000 good-paying green collar jobs through an aggressive federal investment in green energy infrastructure.[18]

Rep. Altmire has earned top marks for his advocacy for clean energy and a clean environment. In 2008, Rep. Altmire voted for clean energy and against Big Oil 100 percent of the time.[19]

Melissa Hart: For Big Oil, against clean energy

On the other hand, Rep. Altmire’s opponent, Melissa Hart, has a consistent record of supporting Big Oil and opposing clean energy policies.

As a representative from 2001 to 2006, Melissa Hart sided with Big Oil and voted against a host of key clean energy initiatives. Hart voted for the 2003 House Energy Bill that included billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil[20] and fought against efforts to increase gas mileage standards for cars, promote alternative fuels, and cut gasoline consumption in Pennsylvania and across the country.[21] And she supported efforts to expand America’s dependence on fossil fuels by drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.[22]

Jason Altmire: The right choice for Pennsylvania’s energy future

Rep. Altmire has shown that he is a leader in fighting for a clean energy future for America that can protect our health, reduce global warming pollution, save consumers money and rejuvenate our economy. By re-electing Rep. Altmire to Congress, Pennsylvanians in the 4th district can ensure that they have a champion fighting for their interests—and not those of Big Oil—in the critical energy battles that face the next Congress.

About PennEnvironment

We all want clean air, clean water and open space. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That's the idea behind PennEnvironment. We focus exclusively on protecting Pennsylvania's air, water and open space. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

Sources

[1] U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 2007, 23 June 2008.

[2] U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, International Energy Annual 2005, 1 October 2007.

[3] U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 2007, 23 June 2008.

[4] Union of Concerned Scientists, Common Sense on Climate Change Solutions #1: Make Better Cars and SUVs, downloaded from www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/global_warming_101/common-sense-solution-1.html, 19 September 2008.

[5] Both General Motors and Toyota have pledged to produce plug-in hybrid vehicles within the next several years. See James R. Healey, “Ford, Toyota, GM Get Charged Up for Plug-In Hybrids,” USA Today, 18 January 2008.

[6] Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez and John A. “Skip” Laitner, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, The Size of the U.S. Energy Efficiency Market: Generating a More Complete Picture, May 2008.

[7] Both solar thermal power and wind energy could theoretically supply more than 100 percent of America’s energy needs. Solar thermal power: Bernadette Del Chiaro, Sarah Payne, Tony Dutzik, Environment America Research & Policy Center, On the Rise: Solar Thermal Power and the Fight Against Global Warming, Spring 2008. Wind: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Wind Energy Resource Potential, downloaded from www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_potential.html, 19 September 2008.

[8] American Wind Energy Association, U.S. Wind Energy Installations Surpass 20,000 Megawatts [press release], 3 September 2008.

[9] Prometheus Institute and Solar Energy Industries Association, U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review 2007, downloaded from www.seia.org/galleries/pdf/Year_in_Review_2007_sm.pdf, 19 September 2008.

[10] Michael Renner, Worldwatch Institute, Jobs in Renewable Energy Expanding, 8 July 2008.

[11] YES vote on Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act, HR 6, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1140.xml, 6 December 2007.

[12] Benjamin Schreiber, Environment America, Driving Towards a New Energy Future, November 2007.

[13] YES vote on New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act, HR 3221, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll832.xml, 4 August 2007.

[14] Savings estimate based on savings from appliance, equipment and lighting standards in the 2007 Energy Bill by 2020 from American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Energy Bill Savings Estimates as Passed by the Senate: ACEEE’s Assessment of the Potential Energy, Carbon and Economic Savings, 14 December 2007. State-specific savings data were prorated based on the state’s share of annual electricity sales in 2006 from U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, State Historical Tables for 2006: Retail Sales of Electricity by State by Sector by Provider, 1990-2006, 26 October 2007. “Average home” based on average per capita residential electricity consumption from U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Consumption in Illinois Homes and similar state pages, downloaded from apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/residential.cfm/state=IL, 15 September 2008.

[15] YES vote on New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act, HR 3221, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll832.xml, 4 August 2007. YES vote on Amendment to HR 3221, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll827.xml, 4 August 2007.

[16] American Wind Energy Association, U.S. Wind Energy Projects as of 6/30/08, downloaded from www.awea.org/projects/, 15 September 2008.

[17] YES vote on Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Act, HR 6, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll040.xml, 18 January 2007.

[18] Robert Pollin, Heidi Garrett-Peltier, James Heintz and Helen Scharber, Center for American Progress and Political Economy Research Institute at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Green Recovery: A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy, September 2008.

[19] Ivan Frishberg and Rick Trilsch, Environment America, Environment America Congressional Scorecard 2008, June, 2008.

[20] YES vote on Energy Policy Act of 2004, HR 4503, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll241.xml.

[21] http://www.ontheissues.org/PA/Melissa_Hart.htm. NO vote on Amendment to HR 4, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2001/roll311.xml, 1 August 2001.

[22] http://www.ontheissues.org/PA/Melissa_Hart.htm. NO vote on Amendment to HR 4, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2001/roll317.xml, 1 August 2001.