SUPPORT KEY SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROVISIONS IN SENATE BILL AND CALL FOR ADDITIONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INCENTIVES

WASHINGTON DC -- In a letter sent today, 25 member groups of the Sustainable Energy Coalition submitted a series of detailed recommendations to the Members of the U.S. Senate selected to serve on the House-Senate Conference on the Energy Policy Act of 2005. (The letter will be forwarded to the House conferees as soon as their names are officially announced.)

The signers to the letter urged the conferees to "set the country on a path to substantially reduce the level of energy imports, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and begin the transition towards a sustainable energy economy by dramatically increasing the use of domestically available renewable energy resources and, energy efficient technologies."

The groups specifically expressed support for ten key sustainable energy provisions found in the Senate version of the energy bill. These include a long-term, broadly-based production tax credit, a Renewable Portfolio Standard, an environmentally-sound Renewable Fuels Standard, energy efficiency standards for appliances, a national oil savings goal, long-term energy efficiency and renewable energy tax credits, and robust authorization levels for federal sustainable energy R&D programs.

In addition, the groups proposed five additional measures, not found in either the House or the Senate bills, that should be incorporated into the final energy bill. These include improved fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, provisions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and national standards for interconnection and net metering for distributed renewable energy technologies.

Noting that "Congress now has an opportunity to put this country on the path to a clean energy future that can create jobs, save consumers money and reduce the threat of climate change," the groups urged that "the final bill provide sufficient incentives, authorizations and policies to move our country towards a sustainable energy future."

The full text of the letter and list of signers are provided in full below.

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The Sustainable Energy Coalition is a coalition of nearly 100 national and state business, consumer, environmental, and energy policy organizations which collectively represent several thousand companies and community-based organizations. Founded in 1992, the Sustainable Energy Coalition works to promote increased use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION
1612 "K" Street, N.W.; #202-A
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-293-2898, x.201

Recommendations for the House-Senate Conference on the Energy Policy Act of
2005

July 12, 2005

Senate Conferees
Energy Policy Act of 2005
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Attn: Energy Policy Staff

Dear Senator:

As you prepare for the House-Senate Conference on the Energy Policy Act of 2005, we urge you to ensure that the final bill provides sufficient incentives, authorizations and policies to move our country towards a sustainable energy future. To achieve this goal, we believe that the conference report should set the country on a path to substantially reduce the level of energy imports, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and begin the transition towards a sustainable energy economy by dramatically increasing the use of domestically available renewable energy resources and, energy efficient technologies.

To realize these goals, the conference report should incorporate the following, which were included in the Senate legislation:

1.) A long-term production tax credit, that benefits the cross-section of
commercially available and emerging renewable energy technologies;

2.) A national Renewable Portfolio Standard, at least as robust as that
included in the Senate legislation;

3.) Long-term tax credits for energy efficiency and renewable energy
technologies that reduce emissions and encourage the use of new energy sources;

4.) Permanent or long term, unrestricted reauthorization of Energy Savings
Performance Contracting (ESPCs), which allow private financing of energy-efficiency improvements to federal buildings;

5.) A Renewable Fuels Standard at least at the level provided by
the Senate, if it is accompanied by language to prevent any environmental backsliding;

6.) The provisions in the Senate's Renewable Fuels Standard that
support the production of ethanol from cellulosic materials;"

7.) Additional new energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment,

8.) A requirement for states to consider Energy Efficiency Resource
Standards and a pilot program to begin implementation of those standards;

9.) A significant oil savings goal, buttressed by adding enforcement
language to the current Senate provision;

10.) Robust authorizations for research, development, demonstrations and
purchase requirements for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

Additionally, the conference report should include provisions, missing in both the House and Senate versions of the bill, which are vital towards moving us towards a sustainable energy future:

1.) Modest improvements in standards for corporate average fuel economy
(CAFE) that would require fuel efficiency standards for automobiles and light duty trucks to meet a 40 mile per gallon (mpg) level by 2020 and other accommodations for national oil savings

2.) National standards for net metering and interconnection to facilitate
the development of distributed renewable energy technologies and enhanced transmission and distribution grid reliability. These standards must include fee schedules that accommodate very small distributed generation equipment

3.) Authorization levels for federal renewable energy and energy efficiency
program budgets that are at least twice as high as current levels;

4.) Provisions to reduce the levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
including, but not limited to, a cap-and-trade system.

5.) Additional investment tax credits for renewable and efficiency
technologies such as small distributed wind turbines.

Congress now has an opportunity to put this country on the path to a clean energy future that can create jobs, save consumers money and reduce the threat of climate change. We look forward to working with you to create an energy policy for the 21st century that provides for energy security and sustainability while reducing our dependence on finite energy resources.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Alliance for Affordable Energy
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy American Solar Energy Society American Wind Energy Association Bob Lawrence & Associates Breakthrough Technologies Institute Business Council for Sustainable Energy Cascade Associates Clean Fuels Development Coalition Colorado Energy Group Environmental and Energy Study Institute Geothermal Resources Council National Environmental Trust Natural Resources Defense Council NewBio E Systems Inc.
New Community Project
New Uses Council
Northwest SEED
Redwood Alliance
Solar Energy Industries Association
The Stella Group, Ltd.
Sterling Planet, Inc.
SustainableBusiness.com
Union of Concerned Scientists
U.S. Public Interest Research Group