Energy Program News

TAMPA —Environment Florida today launched a new campaign calling on congressional candidates to support policies to move America beyond oil and toward a cleaner energy future.

Environment Florida was joined at the campaign launch event by a coalition of organizations including the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Clean Water Action, the Ocean Conservancy, and the League of Women Voters.

“There is no question that America has the know-how to reduce our dependence on oil and move toward a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said Mark Ferrulo, Environment Florida Director.  “We need leaders who support moving America in a new direction that puts our national security, our environment, our global climate, and our children’s futures above Big Oil and other powerful interests,” continued Ferrulo.

Environment Florida is asking all congressional candidates to deliver on the promise of a New Energy Future by committing to support policies that help the U.S. achieve four key goals:

• Reduce U.S. dependence on oil by saving one-third of the oil we use today by 2025;
• Harness clean, renewable, homegrown energy sources for at least one quarter of all energy needs by 2025;
• Save energy with high performance homes, buildings and appliances so that by 2025 we use 10 percent less energy than we do today; and
• Invest in a New Energy Future by tripling research and development funding for the energy-saving and renewable technologies we need to achieve these goals.

Environment Florida also released a report today showing the benefits of these policies to America’s environment, economy, and national security.  Environment Florida found that achieving these goals, by 2025 would enable the United States to:

• Save 10.8 million barrels of oil per day, equal to four-fifths of the amount of oil we currently import from all other nations in the world.
• Save 9.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year, nearly twice as much as currently used in all of America’s homes.
• Save 900 million tons of coal per year, or about 80 percent of all the coal  consumed in the United States in 2005.
• Save 1.7 billion megawatt-hours of electricity per year, 30 percent more than was used in all the households in America in 2005.

“The potential payback from these efforts is tremendous,” said Brian Frost, President of Energy Reapers, Inc., a Tampa based company that helps businesses, schools and hospitals cut their energy use.  “The result will be a cleaner, more sustainable foundation on which to build America’s economy for the 21st century,” continued Frost. 

Environment Florida today specifically called on Tampa Bay candidates Phyllis Busansky and Gus Bilirakis in Florida’s 9th District to support the goals of a New Energy Future. 

“Floridians want to put American innovation and ingenuity to work to solve our energy problems,” stated Ferrulo.  “By supporting these goals, Phyllis Busansky and Gus Bilirakis can help make the promise of a New Energy Future a reality,” concluded Ferrulo. 

Over the next six weeks, Environment Florida will work with State Environment groups and the State PIRGs across the country to build support for the goals of the New Energy Future in more than 50 of the highest profile congressional races.

The full text of the report and the New Energy Future goals are available here

###

Environment Florida is a statewide, non-profit and non-partisan organization whose mission is to protect Florida’s air, water and open spaces.  Visit our website at www.EnvironmentFlorida.org