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TAKOMA PARK, Maryland, US, October 25, 2006
(Refocus Weekly)
More than 150 organizations and businesses from
38 states have endorsed the ‘Sustainable Energy Blueprint’ for the
United States.
The policy document was developed by member groups of the
Sustainable Energy Coalition to outline “a plausible strategy and
timeframe for rapidly expanding the use of energy efficient and
renewable energy technologies to enable a dramatic reduction in
greenhouse gases, while simultaneously phasing out nuclear power and
ending most energy imports,” explains co-ordinator Ken Bossong.
“The three primary, longer-term objectives for the nation's energy
policy should be: reduce GHG emissions to a level consistent with a
worldwide goal of global climate stabilization; eliminate U.S.
energy imports while reducing overall use of oil and natural gas;
and phase out the current generation of nuclear power while
substantially curbing the production and consumption of fossil
fuels, by increasing the use of energy efficiency and making a
transition to sustainable, environmentally safer renewable energy
sources,” the document explains. By 2050, the Blueprint anticipates
that efficiency would reduce current energy use by 40% and
renewables would account for half of total energy supplies.
The U.S. should reduce total energy consumption by at least 1% per
year from 2005 levels so, by 2025, energy use totals no more than
about 80 quads, the report suggests. Current production from
biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar and wind, “plus
renewably-based hydrogen in an environmentally responsible manner,”
should increase by 0.5 quads per year so, by 2025, renewables
provide at least 17 quads.
The group wants to phase out the current generation of nuclear
reactors and to reduce oil consumption by at least 1% per year below
2005 levels so, by 2025, U.S. oil imports are no more than one-third
of total petroleum use. It wants to reduce natural gas consumption
by the same level so, by 2025, the U.S. will no longer be importing
any natural gas.
The blueprint “is being offered as an example of how the United
States could achieve a sustainable energy future; by no means is
this the only mix of options – just an illustrative one,” it
explains. The blueprint will continue to collect endorsements until
the 2008 presidential election.
It is “an ambitious but doable strategy for dramatically reducing
U.S. GHG emissions, phasing out nuclear power, and ending energy
imports while simultaneously creating new domestic jobs and
businesses, improving energy, homeland, and national security and
the economy, and enhancing the environment and public health,” it
explains. The targets “approximate what is technically and
economically feasible given the necessary policy support and
leadership as well as what would likely be necessary if the
above-listed objectives are to be achieved.”
By 2050, total U.S. energy consumption should be no more than 60
quads, while the continued expansion of renewables by at least 0.5
quads per year would allow the sector to contribute at least 30
quads to the nation's energy supply by mid-century.
By 2025, no less than 25% of liquid transportation fuels should come
from renewables, including renewably-generated hydrogen, while no
less than 25% of electricity should be mandated to be generated by
renewables. By that year, state or federal standards should mandate
that 20% of all new buildings must be ‘zero energy’ and moving
towards a goal of all new buildings being ‘zero energy’ by 2050
“using a combination of efficient design and clean on-site energy
production.”
“Expansion of renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean
distributed generation technologies should be promoted through
national interconnection standards (net metering and transmission
access reforms), production and investment tax incentives,
government procurement, updated resource assessment, and state and
local planning programs,” it suggests. Annual federal funding for
research and deployment of renewables “should be at least doubled
over the next five years and expanded to no less than five times
current levels by 2025.”
“Funding to support sustainable energy budget outlays and tax
incentives, as well as to alleviate low-income consumer impacts,
should be drawn from a mix of gradually increased dedicated taxes on
carbon-based fuels, energy imports, and fossil fuel leases on
federal lands,” it adds.
The Sustainable Energy Network is a network of 300 organizations,
companies and individuals which advocate aggressive deployment of
renewables and energy efficient technologies as a strategy for
phasing out nuclear power, eliminating energy imports, and cutting
GHG emissions.
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