U.S. Senators will push 100 percent renewable energy
There’s much still to do to convince Congress and other elected bodies to move us toward 100 percent renewables, but this is an improtant chink in the fossil-fuel industry’s armor.
Nearly ten years ago, we started making the case for a steady transition to an economy powered entirely by clean, renewable energy. It was a tough sell. On the one hand, most people understand that the availability of wind and sun is virtually unlimited, and they believe we have the smarts, technology, and skilled workforce to get us there. On the other hand, most people had trouble envisioning getting past a major stumbling block: our elected officials, especially Congress, will never let it happen.
Now, there’s evidence that’s changing.
On July 6th, Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) took to the floor of the Senate calling for urgent action and support for his legislation to move us to 100 percent renewable energy. A week later, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) announced plans to introduce a bill this fall that would require 100 percent renewable energy in the U.S. by 2050. Both these moves are in addition to the House resolution calling for 100 percent renewable energy filed earlier this year, which now has 45 cosponsors.
“We have a chance to have 100 percent renewable electricity by the year 2050 in our country. We have a chance to change the whole path of the planet.” — U.S. Senator Edward Markey
“We must end our use of carbon-emitting fossil fuels, and we must start now. That’s why over the next several months I will introduce legislation that will get us to the goal of relying on 100 percent renewable energy sources by 2050. It’s a big goal, but it’s one we can and must achieve. Nothing short of our existence on this planet is at stake.” — U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
There’s much still to do to convince Congress and other elected bodies to move us toward 100 percent renewables, but we’re starting to see chinks in the fossil-fuel industry’s armor.
Buoyed by continued progress on renewables and the growing evidence of the need to act, we must continue engaging the many who will reap the environmental and economic benefits of the shift to clean energy.
