December 29, 2007
Group wants clean energy pledges
By PERRY BEEMAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
A national environmental
group at a Des Moines
event Friday called on presidential candidates to push for energy
conservation, "green" alternative energy and a moratorium on new
coal-fired power plants.
Environment America, which
has an Environment Iowa branch in Des
Moines, said the next president must make clean
energy a top priority. The group listed clean-energy priorities it plans to
push in Iowa,
site of next week's presidential caucuses, and the early primary states.
Iowans are embroiled in a
fight over proposals for new coal plants in Marshalltown
and Waterloo,
developments critics say would add to one of the biggest sources of
greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Proponents say the plants would
be more efficient than older ones, and provide the cheap, reliable power
Iowans and other Americans demand.
"All of the candidates for president should pledge to make big, bold,
clean-energy initiatives a centerpiece of their environmental and economic
policies," said Melisa Stodieck, field organizer for Environment Iowa.
"The next president must prioritize harnessing America's
abundant clean energy resources and vast reserves of energy efficiency."
The group called on
presidential candidates to support these goals and policies:
- Cut oil use by one-third before 2025 through energy-efficiency
improvements.
- Provide at least 25 percent of all energy with wind, solar, biofuels or
other renewable energy sources by 2025.
- Cut energy use by 10 percent before 2025 by using more-efficient
appliances, buildings and homes.
- Commit $30 billion to new energy technologies over the next decade.
- Reject proposals for new nuclear plants, and relicensing of existing ones.
- Ban new coal-fired power plants.
- Make solar energy a centerpiece of energy plans.
- Change utility policies to reward efficiency programs and renewable energy.
- Set a national limit on carbon emissions.
Reporter Perry Beeman can be reached at (515) 284-8538 or pbeeman@dmreg.com
