Re: Support H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007
01/16/07

U.S. House
Washington, DC 20515

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the independent political voice for the environment.  Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of members of Congress on environmental legislation.  The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the press.

LCV urges you to support H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, which will help put our country on the path toward a clean energy future.  This legislation is an excellent way to start the 110th Congress and a much-needed first step toward reducing our dependence on oil, combating global warming, and decreasing air pollution, while creating jobs and saving consumers money on energy bills.  This forward-looking bill creates a clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency fund that will be funded by repealing $14 billion in subsidies and tax breaks to oil and gas companies already awash in record profits.

H.R. 6 offers a major opportunity to start using American ingenuity to advance a clean energy future that benefits both the environment and the economy.  The $14 billion clean energy fund can be used for critically important legislation, including an extension of the renewable energy production tax credit.  The fund can also be used to extend energy efficiency tax incentives for buildings, equipment and appliances, lift the cap on hybrid vehicle tax credits, and invest in clean energy technologies.  H.R 6 stands in sharp contrast to the harmful energy legislation of the last few years, which promoted failed policies of the past that benefited oil and gas companies at the expense of the environment and taxpayers.  The bill creates a strong incentive for oil companies to renegotiate leases issued in 1998 and 1999, which mistakenly allow companies to drill without paying any royalties because of a failure to include a price threshold in their lease agreements.  H.R. 6 also repeals provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that authorize additional royalty relief, as well as two tax breaks that benefit oil companies.

We urge you to support this crucial first step toward a clean energy future by voting YES on H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007.  LCV has scored votes on clean, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and oil subsidies on numerous occasions in the past few years, and the Political Committee will strongly consider including this vote in the 2007 Scorecard.  If you need more information, please call Tiernan Sittenfeld or Nat Mund at my office at (202) 785-8683.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
President, LCV