In a July 16 open letter to the next President and the next Congress, 27 former Congressmen, Cabinet and other high ranking officials expressed their concern about America’s long-term energy challenges. The letter comes from the Institute for 21st Century Energy - a bipartisan group of former government officials concerned about U.S. energy policy.
The letter urges the next President and Congress to place the highest priority on developing and implementing an energy policy that is “long-term and commonsense.” The former officials say that “solving America’s energy problem requires a strategic plan underpinned by durable policy and fiscal commitments.” In order to meet the energy demands of the future, they urge the next President and Congress to take swift action now to:
- Aggressively Promote Energy Efficiency;
- Reduce the Environmental Impact of Energy Consumption and Production;
- Invest in Climate Science to Guide Energy, Economic, and Environmental Policy;
- Significantly Increase Funding for Research, Development, and Demonstration of Advanced Clean Energy Technologies;
- Immediately Expand Domestic Oil and Gas Exploration and Production;
- Commit to and Expand Nuclear Energy Use;
- Commit to the Use of Clean Coal;
- Increase Renewable Sources of Electricity;
- Transform Our Transportation Sector; and
- Modernize and Protect U.S. Energy Infrastructure
To view the letter, go to: http://www.energyxxi.org/xxi/open_letter.html