NEW SENATE ENERGY BILL TAKES A BADLY NEEDED STEP FORWARD

Proposal Unveiled Today Addresses Clean Solutions

Statement by Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council

"This bill takes a badly needed step forward in promoting clean solutions to America's energy and environmental needs.

"The Clean EDGE Act of 2006, unlike the energy bill enacted last year, recognizes that a clean path is the best way to end America's oil addiction. It recognizes that efficiency and renewable sources of energy are a key part of any energy strategy. And it recognizes that sound energy policy must address global warming.

"One element in the bill that concerns us is a provision that encourages the production of transportation fuels from coal, which could produce more global warming pollution than petroleum alternatives.

"As we seek to break our oil addiction, we can take a green path. And that means relying on the ingenuity of our farmers to produce clean, renewable fuels and on the brilliance of our engineers to design vehicles with high fuel economy performance standards that will once again be the envy of the world.

"We look forward to working with the sponsors of this important legislation to improve its provisions so that they are cost effective, enforceable and achieve the intended results."