Press Release - Cantwell, Gore, Burner Call for Change to National Agenda to Help Make America Energy Independent

Press Release - Cantwell, Gore, Burner Call for Change to National Agenda to Help Make America Energy Independent

Cantwell's Five Point Plan for Energy Independence Would Create More Than a Half Million Family Wage Jobs; Jumpstart Alternative Fuels Industry

On Tuesday in Seattle, at an event sponsored by the Seattle University Young Democrats, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, former Vice President Al Gore, Congressional candidate Darcy Burner, U.S. Representative Norm Dicks, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, General Counsel for Propel Fuels Frank Paganelli, and KC Golden of Climate Solutions discussed the need to change the agenda in Washington DC to make America energy independent with investments in domestically produced biofuels and alternative energy research. Gore, one of the nation's most recognized figures talking about climate change, has been traveling the country, discussing the need for America to become energy independent.

"It's time for a new energy strategy for America," said Cantwell. "Transitioning to a clean energy system is absolutely essential in stopping global warming, one of the most complex challenges of our time. The time for change is now - it's time to end the huge tax breaks for big oil, and replace them with new incentives for lightweight, efficient materials and for cars that can run on either ethanol and gasoline or biodiesel and diesel."

Cantwell highlighted her work on smart, forward looking energy alternatives to break our dependence on foreign oil. Cantwell's plan, the Clean EDGE Act, would boost our country's alternative fuels infrastructure, replace big oil giveaways with incentives for clean energy, reduce harmful emissions, and develop new technologies to reduce oil consumption. Committed to helping make America more energy independent, Cantwell believes that through Northwest innovation, we can create jobs and grow our state's economy, in addition to delivering clean affordable energy for America's households.

Vice President Gore praised Cantwell as a "great champion" on energy independence. Gore said that the Republican leadership in Washington, DC, on the other hand, is trying to "bamboozle" the American people and ignore the energy and environmental crisis we face: "This election is your chance to say we are going to re-elect Senator Maria Cantwell, we are going to elect Darcy Burner, we are going to take control of the House and Senate and turn these policies around."

Cantwell is committed to changing the direction of the nation's agenda, and that means changing who controls Congress. The Republican Congress and Bush administration have failed to come up with an effective long-term plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and they're not investing the necessary resources in biofuels and other alternatives that will lead America to becoming energy independent. We deserve better than a rubberstamp Republican Congress simply going along with this administration's shortsighted agenda. We deserve a Congress that represents our Northwest values, and that's why Cantwell's working to elect Burner and other Democrats up and down the ticket this November.

Cantwell's on the final leg of her "Putting Us First" tour, which she started in August. The tour will highlight her accomplishments and showcase her plans to promote and protect our Northwest values. In the first seven days of the tour, Cantwell will make over a dozen stops across the state, rallying supporters and talking about the need to change the agenda and direction of the country. Again and again, the Republican-controlled Congress and the Bush Administration have put themselves and their special interest friends before the needs of working families, seniors, children and communities here in Washington. Cantwell is committed to changing that agenda, and she is working everyday for the issues that matter most to the people of Washington state.

A study released last month by the Economic Policy Institute found that Cantwell's Clean EDGE Act would create bring about a significant increase in the production of energy from renewable and alternative sources and the production of high-efficiency vehicles and other products. According to the analysis, the measure would also reduce the environmental impact of energy production and transportation in the U.S. And it would generate an estimated 531,000 new, good-paying jobs. Cantwell's plan establishes five clear and concrete goals to achieve energy independence and help us start to get a handle on the issue of climate change:

* Launch an aggressive effort to increase the number of vehicles in America that run on alternative fuels, reaching 25 percent by 2010. That requires smart investments in American infrastructure and real competition at the pump.

* Protect American consumers and from gasoline price gouging and energy market manipulation. Supply and demand are basic forces that guide our markets, and those forces demand real transparency to make sure markets function the way they're supposed to.

* Level the playing field for clean energy technologies by ending the huge tax breaks for big oil and replacing them with incentives for consumers and manufacturers to produce and use the next generation of fuel efficient vehicles.

* As the country's single largest energy consumer, the U.S. government must lead our national energy transformation, not fall behind.

* Diversify American energy sources and invest in renewable sources of energy to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help break America's dependence on foreign oil.

http://www.cantwell.com/news/release/view/?id=193