Markey Legislation Tackles Climate Change, Clean Energy

NRDC: “This is the renewable energy legislation we need.”

WASHINGTON (October 31, 2013) – Sen. Ed Markey today introduced legislation that sets a target of generating 25 percent of the nation’s energy from renewable sources while reducing energy waste by 15 percent by 2025.

The second renewable energy bill introduced in the Senate this week, Sen. Markey’s legislation also follows the science by including strong carbon accounting measures for biomass resources and other important provisions aimed at improving bio-energy supplies.

Franz Matzner, associate director of government affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, made the following comment:

“This is the renewable energy legislation we need. It also is a wake-up call to those who want to deny science and stall progress: As a nation, it’s time to break our addiction to fossil fuels and invest in a cleaner, healthier future for our children. 

“Coupled with President Obama’s climate change initiative, this legislation can takes us one step closer to meeting the moral obligation we have to our children to cut pollution, tackle climate change and develop more sources of clean, renewable energy – and the jobs that come with it.”

For NRDC’s fact sheet on the legislation, see here: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/american-renewable-energy-efficiency-act.asp

For Franz’s blog on the legislation, see here: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fmatzner/renewable_energy_standard_20.html