Navin Nayak, PIRG energy and environmental advocate.

On February 16, 2005, 140 nations moved forward to address one of the greatest challenges of our generation—global warming—by enacting the Kyoto Protocol.

The U.S., as we all know, is not one of those countries. The Bush administration rejected the protocol soon after coming into office, claiming that the costs of complying would wreak havoc on the economy.

Based on the findings of a report released by Florida PIRG, the truth is quite different. The report illustrates that, in fact, making the changes necessary to reach Kyoto’s goals would have signifi cant, longlasting economic benefits.

Our report, Redirecting America’s Energy: The Economic and Consumer Benefits of Clean Energy Policies, shows that under clean energy policies, the U.S. would:

• Create 154,000 net new jobs annually between 2005-2020;

• Increase national wages by $6.8 billion above projected levels by 2020;

• Save residential, commercial and industrial consumers $16 billion on their electricity bills and $11 billion on natural gas bills in 2020; and

• Reduce global warming-causing carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants by 27 percent of 2002 levels.

Clean energy solutions would benefi t more people like Keith and Myrna Roman, whose land is home to the Ponnequin wind farm—Colorado’s first utility-scale wind power facility. The Romans are retired small-scale ranchers who raise beef cattle and have benefi ted from lease payments for having wind turbines on their land.

Keith Roman emphasized the economic advantage of wind power, saying recently, “I can tell you we’re making much more off this than we did off cows. And, you don’t have to feed them, you don’t have to break the ice, and you don’t have to calve them out.”

Old Habits Die Hard
The U.S. currently generates more than 90 percent of its electricity from polluting sources, while clean, renewable sources of energy provide less than 3 percent of our electricity needs.

This imbalance is a direct result of federal intervention—billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to polluting industries. Between 1950 and 1997, fossil fuel and nuclear industries received over $500 billion in federal tax breaks and subsidies, while renewable energy industries received only $25 billion—just 5 percent of what was given to polluting energy sources.

By continuing to subsidize polluting energy industries while ignoring clean energy solutions, the Bush-Cheney energy plan would move America in the wrong direction. The public agrees—extensive public opposition to the energy bill has spurred the Senate to reject the Bush-Cheney energy bill twice in the past two years.

Instead of continuing with the same outdated policies, we are working with Congress to develop a strong renewable energy standard requiring that clean renewables generate 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020. Eighteen states now have clean energy standards, including policies won by NMPIRG, MaryPIRG, RIPIRG and NJPIRG.