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“LETTER FROM THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COALITION RE: ENERGY AND WATER APPROPS OF 2010” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1852 on July 20, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
LETTER FROM THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COALITION RE: ENERGY
AND WATER APPROPS OF 2010
______
HON. RUSS CARNAHAN
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Monday, July 20, 2009
Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I submit the following letter:
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, July 15, 2009.Hon. David R. Obey,Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, Rayburn House Office
Building, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.Hon. Ed Pastor,Acting Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development, Rayburn House Office Building, U.S. Capitol,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Obey and Acting Chairman Pastor: As members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), we thank and commend you for your continuing leadership in making the investments in clean energy and energy efficiency technologies that are essential for a transition to a cleaner, more prosperous and independent American energy future.
As a Coalition we believe firmly in the advancement of the technologies that will provide cleaner, more economically and environmentally sustainable energy to every segment of our economy. Further, as members of SEEC we have fought continuously for investments in research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that will spawn a new American clean energy economy that will create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and arrest the progression of global climate change.
In a meeting on June 16th, 2009, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu expressed to our members his desire for a new American energy future. As a part of his visionary plan to bring this future to reality, the Secretary called for the creation of eight ``Energy Innovation Hubs'' for the advanced research and development of the energy technologies that will allow America to lead the world in a twenty-first century energy economy.
Under the Energy and Water Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2010 legislation, funding has been allocated for the Department of Energy to establish one Energy Innovation Hub. According to the Department of Energy, this Hub would be chartered for the research and development of ``Fuels from Sunlight'' technologies. While we stand with the Secretary of Energy in supporting the research and development of game-changing, twenty-first century fuel technologies, we would like to express support for the establishment of a second Energy Innovation Hub--using existing funding appropriated to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy--for the research and development of ``Energy Efficient Building Systems''.
The creation of an Energy Innovation Hub to research and develop advancements in increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is a high priority for the Secretary and the Department of Energy. As a nation, our built environment accounts for 40 percent of our carbon dioxide emissions, and consumes 70 percent of the electricity from our electric grid. A lack of energy efficiency contributes to higher energy prices and greater greenhouse gas emissions for homes and for businesses in every state. Greater and more widespread energy efficiency in buildings would result in lower energy prices, less greenhouse gas emissions, and less wasted use of our energy resources. Therefore, we would like to work with the Committee on Appropriations, the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and the Department of Energy to realize the creation of an Energy Innovation Hub to research and develop Energy Efficient Building Systems.
Sincerely,
The Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment
Coalition,
Russ Carnahan, Jared Polis, Jay Inslee, Paul Hodes, Paul
Tonko, Tammy Baldwin, Martin Heinrich, Betsy Markey,
Donna Christensen, Peter Welch, Bruce Braley, Mike
Honda, Jim McDermott, Ben Ray Lujan, Jim Himes, David
Loebsack, Members of Congress.
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