Solar Action Network Alert
Background:
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have each passed a version of a 2006 national energy bill. The Senate version is significantly more favorable to solar energy technology than the House version. NEITHER, however, can be said to be much more than a repeat of the 2005 proposed legislation. ASES opposed the 2005 legislation because it did little to lead the nation on a substantive path to a sustainable energy economy. The same may be said for the current legislation.
For ASES members and the sustainable energy sector the most important
provision of the Senate proposed legislation is a 30 percent tax credit
for solar energy. The House version of the bill does not contain this
provision.
ASES commends the Senate for its inclusion of the solar tax credits,
but once again finds itself unable to support the overall legislation.
The emphasis of Congress on fossil and nuclear fuels and its
unwillingness to support such measures as higher automotive fuel efficiencies cannot be ignored. Whether one considers the impact on the economy of rising petroleum prices, the influence of fossil fuels on the environment and foreign policy or the threat posed by storing nuclear waste, the conclusion is the same. The current energy policy of the United States is unsustainable in either the long or short-runs.
The leadership of ASES believes that both versions of the proposed 2006 legislation do more to perpetuate an unsustainable status quo than to lead the nation towards an appropriate and supportable energy path.
Although opposed to the larger legislative proposals, ASES members
should not be inattentive to the more positive provisions of the Senate version. The ASES Board and Policy Committee, therefore, recommend the following when writing Senators and Representatives.
Primary themes:
- The primary message of any communication is that the nation needs a
bold, dynamic and sustainable energy policy - a policy that supports
and encourages the development and commercialization of sustainable
energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and renewable hydrogen in the near to mid-terms.
- Neither the Senate nor the House version of the 2006 energy
legislation now before the Congressional conference committee accomplishes this and more must be done.
- Encourage the conferees to adopt the more favorable sustainable
energy provisions of the Senate version, i.e. the 30 percent solar tax
credit, and to include language in the Conference report that lays the
groundwork for more proactive policies and programs in support of
sustainable energy sources.
Action Options:
1. Telephone the local office of your member of congress and share
your views on the energy bill and express support for the Senate version in particular its solar attributes.
2. Use the themes attached as a template and email or fax a letter to
your Representative and Senators.
3. SEIA and Renewable Energy Access have set up an easy-to-use webpage that will let you fax your Senators and Congressman so that your voice can be heard.
Please click on the attached link and fill out the form http://capwiz.com/re-action/go/solar . A fax will automatically be
sent to your Congressman and Senators.
Thank you for letting your voice be heard.
- Brad Collins
http://www.ases.org
7:39:04 AM 
|
