Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum

7/22/08

Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY NETWORK from Ken Bossong

On July 31, our colleague - the Sustainable Energy Coalition – will be hosting the 11th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum in the Cannon Office Building of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC. The event is being co-sponsored by Members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses.

The day-long program, which is free and open to the public, will bring together nearly 50 exhibitors representing the cross-section of sustainable energy technologies. A morning news conference with Members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives as well as a series of afternoon speakers will address the status, economics, benefits, and near-term potential of sustainable energy technologies to address rising energy prices, increased reliance on energy imports, and climate change.

We are therefore writing to you for three reasons:

First, if you plan to be in the Washington DC area on Thursday - July 31, we invite and encourage you to attend the EXPO. No RSVP is required.

Second, we would welcome your sharing information about this event with any, and all, members of the news media, businesses, non-profit organizations, students, or other interested members of the general public. A flier describing the EXPO is attached; please feel free to forward it to any contacts you may have.

Third – and perhaps most importantly – we would like to request your assistance in encouraging Members of Congress and their staff to attend this event.

As you know, Congress currently is considering a range of energy-related issues including climate change legislation, annual appropriations bills, initiatives to extend the renewable energy and energy efficiency production tax and investment tax credits, and proposals to expand domestic oil & gas drilling plus new incentives for fossil fuels and nuclear power. We believe the EXPO offers an unparalleled opportunity for sustainable energy advocates to educate Members of Congress about the role of sustainable energy technologies and the policy options that would affect their development.

However, as a first step, it is necessary to get the Members and their staff to attend the EXPO. And inasmuch as most Members try to be responsive to their constituents, we hope that you would be willing to telephone, e-mail, or fax a request to your congressional delegation and encourage their attendance.

Accordingly, we have attached a suggested letter for your use. Feel free to personalize it with your own letterhead and/or name and to edit the text to highlight any policy issues you would like to stress.

If you wish to telephone your congressional delegation, the main switchboard number for the U.S. Capitol is 202-224-3121.

If you wish to e-mail or fax your Senators and/or Representatives, you can find their contact information by going to either www.house.gov or www.senate.gov. (We advise against mailing letters since there is a one or two week security delay in delivering “snail mail.”)

Thank you very much for any assistance you may be able to give in helping to spread the word about the 11th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum.

NOTE: Additional details about the EXPO can be found at www.sustainableenergycoalition.org.

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY NETWORK
8606 Greenwood Avenue, #2
Takoma Park, MD 20912
Sustainable-energy-network@hotmail.com

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Ten Reasons To Say No To Nuclear Power

1. Climate change is underway. Renewable energy can be brought online faster, more cheaply and more safely than nuclear power. 2. Reactors are sitting-duck targets and are not even defended to the ferocity of the 9/11 attacks. 3. Nuclear power is not emissions-free. Reactors routinely release radioactivity and use fossil fuels at every step from uranium mining to waste storage. 4. Building more reactors in the U.S. sends the wrong message abroad. Commercial nuclear technology inevitably leads to nuclear weapons capability. 5. The Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive dump is unsound and even if opened could not accommodate all wastes if generation continues. 6. Evacuation plans are unrealistic. Hurricane Katrina taught us that a mass evacuation during a serious radiological release would be a chaotic catastrophe. 7. A typical 1000 megawatt nuclear reactor produces enough plutonium each year to make 40 atomic bombs, an unacceptable risk. 8. New and old reactors are most prone to break down. U.S. reactors are old. New ones increase the risk of accident. 9. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission—mandated to watchdog the nuclear industry – chooses to protect industry profit over public health and safety. 10. The most defenseless are at the greatest risk—children, the elderly, minorities, the poor and animals—at every phase of the nuclear fuel chain. Ten Brighter Ideas 1. If every U.S. household installed one compact fluorescent light bulb, the power savings would equal the power produced by one nuclear reactor. 1=1! 2. Twenty compact fluorescents in every U.S. home could displace at least 25% of U.S. nuclear reactors. 3. Updated lighting, appliances, heating, cooling and other electrical systems can save more energy than all 103 U.S. reactors produce annually. 4. Cost-effective energy efficiency measures for homes and businesses can save at least 20% of electricity use. 5. Turning off and unplugging electrical equipment not in use and line-drying clothes seem like small measures but can make a big difference. 6. Homeowners and renters alike can choose to buy green power instead of nuclear generated electricity. 7. Properly sealing and insulating your home can save 25%-40% of building heat loss. 8. Renewable energy sources can meet 25% of U.S. energy needs by 2025. 9. Shifting to locally-generated electricity avoids waste, reduces brownouts and blackouts, increases efficiency of service and creates jobs. 10. Every dollar spent on nuclear power instead of fossil fuels results in releasing six times more carbon than if the same dollar is spent on efficiency. www.nirs.org 301.270.6477

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