Letter to All State Governors - Input on National Energy Policy

Letter

June 29, 2015

Dear Governor,

We believe it is time for the U.S. Senate to consider the first update to our nation's energy policies in almost a decade. In particular, we believe the U.S. must establish a framework that helps unleash investment in our infrastructure sufficient to ensure all American citizens and businesses have access to affordable, efficient, reliable and cleaner energy; and that we must do so in a way that cuts carbon emissions, in order to address climate change and the substantial impacts it is already having on communities across the country.

We are writing to ask your support for the following goals. Your feedback will help us collectively craft a path forward on an energy policy that unleashes America's limitless capacity for innovation, rewards middle-class families for making smart energy choices, and keeps our air and water clean for generations to come. In particular we believe in the following principles:

Investing in clean energy: The U.S. should continue on a trajectory that encourages investment, invention and deployment of the clean energy technologies that are creating jobs today, and will continue to do so for decades to come--from renewable energy and low-carbon fossil energy, to storage and advanced grid systems.

Empowering consumers: We must protect consumers, ensure the safety, physical security and cybersecurity of our infrastructure, and empower our citizens and businesses to make their own energy choices.

Modernizing infrastructure: We must modernize our energy infrastructure, to ensure we have reliable and resilient systems in place that can respond to the complex needs of a 21st Century economy.

Cutting pollution and waste: We must cut pollution and end needless waste in both the way we use energy, and in the way in which governments execute our energy policy objectives.

Investing in research and development: Finally, we must continue to make foundational investments in the research and development that ensure U.S. businesses will successfully compete in growing global markets for new energy products and services.

In short, we recognize that the success of our efforts to address today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities will continue to rely on a foundational partnership between federal policymakers and States. As such, we seek your input on policies consistent with these shared principles, to help guide our consideration of reasonable, commonsense updates to our nation's energy policy.

Sincerely,

The Honorable Maria Cantwell
U.S. Senator, Washington

The Honorable Harry Reid
U.S. Senator, Nevada

The Honorable Charles Schumer
U.S. Senator, New York

The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp
U.S. Senator, North Dakota

The Honorable Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Senator, Wisconsin

The Honorable Michael Bennet
U.S. Senator, Colorado

The Honorable Richard Blumenthal
U.S. Senator, Connecticut

The Honorable Cory Booker
U.S. Senator, New Jersey

The Honorable Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator, California

The Honorable Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator, Ohio

The Honorable Benjamin Cardin
U.S. Senator, Maryland

The Honorable Thomas Carper
U.S. Senator, Delaware

The Honorable Robert Casey, Jr.
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania

The Honorable Christopher Coons
U.S. Senator, Delaware

The Honorable Joe Donnelly
U.S. Senator, Indiana

The Honorable Richard Durbin
U.S. Senator, Illinois

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator, California

The Honorable Al Franken
U.S. Senator, Minnesota

The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
U.S. Senator, New York

The Honorable Martin Heinrich
U.S. Senator, New Mexico

The Honorable Mazie Hirono
U.S. Senator, Hawaii

The Honorable Tim Kaine
U.S. Senator, Virginia

The Honorable Angus King, Jr.
U.S. Senator, Maine

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator, Minnesota

The Honorable Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator, Vermont

The Honorable Joe Manchin
U.S. Senator, West Virginia

The Honorable Edward Markey
U.S. Senator, Massachusetts

The Honorable Claire McCaskill
U.S. Senator, Missouri

The Honorable Robert Menendez
U.S. Senator, New Jersey

The Honorable Jeff Merkley
U.S. Senator, Oregon

The Honorable Barbara Mikulski
U.S. Senator, Maryland

The Honorable Christopher Murphy
U.S. Senator, Connecticut

The Honorable Patty Murray
U.S. Senator, Washington

The Honorable Bill Nelson
U.S. Senator, Florida

The Honorable Gary Peters
U.S. Senator, Michigan

The Honorable Jack Reed
U.S. Senator, Rhode Island

The Honorable Brian Schatz
U.S. Senator, Hawaii

The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen
U.S. Senator, New Hampshire

The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
U.S. Senator, Michigan

The Honorable Jon Tester
U.S. Senator, Montana

The Honorable Tom Udall
U.S. Senator, New Mexico

The Honorable Mark Warner
U.S. Senator, Virginia

The Honorable Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator, Massachusetts

The Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. Senator, Rhode Island

The Honorable Ron Wyden
U.S. Senator, Oregon

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