02/04/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joshua McNeil, (202) 785-8683 or joshua_mcneil@lcv.org

Markey-Platts Bill a Vital Step Toward Clean Energy Future and Energy Independence

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Representative Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, and Representative Todd Platts (R-PA) introduced a bipartisan bill calling for 25% of American energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.  League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski issued the following statement:

“Chairman Markey’s vision for a clean energy future once again puts him on the cutting edge of energy legislation.  With this bill, he and Representative Platts are protecting the planet from global warming, increasing our national security and rebuilding our economy with clean, renewable energy. 

“This bill will create an economic demand for wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the coming years.  It will help establish a powerful, productive and profitable clean energy industry that will employ generations of Americans. 

“We also support Chairman Markey’s new requirements for energy efficiency, which will allow us to do more with the energy we already produce.”