It’s crunch time on energy on Capitol Hill. So more than two dozen executives from renewable energy and energy efficiency companies made the rounds of 15 Senate offices yesterday, stressing the urgency of passing an energy bill this summer.
With the election looming and the number of legislative days dwindling, the members of the clean energy coalition knew they had to make a strong case, and they were ready: if the United States does not act soon to pass comprehensive energy legislation, investment and jobs could be lost to Europe and China, where governments are only too eager to create pro-renewable policies.
Industry executives came away confident that their message was heard, and cautiously optimistic that enough Senators would respond when the Senate leadership brings up a bill later this month.
Said AWEA CEO Denise Bode, “We know this is crunch time. We are working very hard to get this done, not only because it is important to our members, but because increased use of renewable energy will create jobs and protect our energy and national security by reducing our dependence on imports.” |
