Clean Energy for Washington DC – being voted on in City Council next week

On July 1st, the DC City Council will be voting on the Clean and Affordable Energy Act (Bill 17-492), an important piece of legislation that would direct investments into energy conservation and efficiency, instead of new sources of electricity – right here in our nation’s capital!

Not surprisingly, PEPCO is opposed to this legislation, which means that the members of the City Council need to hear from citizen activists like you who strongly support taking steps to fight global warming while saving citizens money. If you’re a DC resident, send an email showing your support by clicking here.

The Clean and Affordable Energy Act would revamp the way consumers get energy and would create a sustainable utility to oversee it all. The bill would require a gradual increase in the energy produced by alternative methods such as solar power so that by 2020, at least one-fifth of energy would come from renewable sources. More information about the Clean and Affordable Energy Act.

So why is this important? Besides the fact that increasing in renewable energy and energy efficiency are always pretty good ideas, passing such strong legislation in DC in particular sends yet another message to our elected officials that we want real solutions to global warming – starting in the backyard of the Capitol Building.

Please take a minute now to email the DC City Council in support of the Clean and Affordable Energy Act. Continue reading

Let's Go the Distance for Clean Energy!

The Coalition for Wise Energy launched the campaign to stop the boondoggle Wise County power plant hoping to present a mile-long petition to Dominion Power at its shareholders meeting in May. That was back in November. Now it’s April and we’re close to reaching out goal! Sign the petition below and then help the opposition to this coal plant grow by clicking on ‘adopt a yard!’

Officials and Citizens Rally to Support Renewable Energy

Yesterday, Monday, June 18, 2007, clean energy advocates converged on Rockville, MD. to show support for proposals to increase the amount of electricity that comes from renewable energy. CCAN teamed up with Environment Maryland to call on Congress to pass a bill introduced by Representatives Udall (D-NM) and Platts (R-PA), H.R. 969, which would require 20 percent of America’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources like wind and solar by 2020. Last week, Rep. Van Hollen agreed to cosponsor of the legislation.

Baby with pinwheel

Children will be most affected by climate change. This child
shows his support of clean energy by waving a pinwheel.

The clean energy advocates listened as Congressman Van Hollen spoke about the urgency that Congress needs to tackle Global Warming. Relating his support for the cleanest forms of alternative energy, Van Hollen stated, “I hope the new political breeze on Capitol Hill will produce a new energy policy that focuses on renewable energy sources like wind and solar. After listening to the Senate debate the future of coal to liquid, this was music to our ears.

CCAN’s director, Mike Tidwell, made it clear that climate change is the issue of our time and Congress must step up to task with alternative energy sources such as wind and solar. Other speakers at the event included local and state representatives that are firm advocates for clean energy in Maryland. The other speakers for the event included:

Christine Real de Azua, spokesperson for the American Wind Energy Association;

Rob Garagiola, Maryland State Senator;

Brad Heavner, Environment Maryland State Director.

The state of Maryland is shaping up to be a national leader in the clean energy revolution. CCAN’s Maryland and DC organizer, Claire Douglass, planned this press conference to show that state and federal leadership in Maryland support clean energy alternatives to combat global warming. Maryland citizens and their leaders should be proud that they are paving the path to clean energy. The citizens in the crowd demonstrated the use of wind turbines by holding up pinwheels that flickered as they spun around in the breeze.

If every member of Congress is as tuned in to the climate and alternative energy as Congressman Chris Van Hollen, we’ll be in much better shape. However, the truth is that every citizen still needs to demand results from their leaders in order to stop global climate change!