DeLauro, House and Senate Leaders Set Goal: By 2025, 25% Energy from Renewable Sources

DeLauro, House and Senate Leaders Set Goal: By 2025, 25% Energy from Renewable Sources

- Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3), ranking member of the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee, joined her colleagues in the U.S. House and Senate to set a bold, new goal for energy consumption in the United States. The lawmakers said that by the year 2025, 25% of energy should come from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and biomass.

"Renewable resources provide an environmentally safe, economically efficient way to address this country's rising energy dependency," said DeLauro. "Expanding our capacity to use these resources to harness energy will boost the agricultural community while reducing rising energy costs for Americans. The technology exists, the resources exist, we simply need the will to do so. This resolution expresses that will."

This goal - also known as "25x25" - was introduced in a resolution offered in both the House and Senate and has wide bipartisan support. The effort is part of a larger coalition of farm, forestry, and environmental organizations and companies as well as governors and states. By 2025, the coalition has called for America's farms, forests and ranches to provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed and fiber.

Renewable energy can be harnessed in every one of our 50 states - from resources like wind, solar, hydro, and biofuels. Currently, renewable energy produces 6 percent of America's total energy and is the fastest growing energy sector. We can produce 70 billion gallons of ethanol, or 25% of our projected gasoline use in 2025, from farm and forest resources - including many waste materials.

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