Groups Call on Congress to Repower America with Clean Energy for Consumers and Environment

Chicago, IL- Between 2010 and 2030, Illinois will spend as much as $1.074 trillion on oil, coal, and other fossil fuels – 3 times the total earnings of all Illinois workers in 2007.  At the same time, pollution from fossil fuels is the number one source of air and global warming pollution and a leading source of water pollution, said Environment Illinois in their new report.

High spending on fossil fuels is largely driven by our dependence on oil, according to the analysis.  Illinois is on track to spend as much as $43.6 billion on oil alone in 2030, 74 percent of the state’s total spending on fossil fuels.

“This Independence Day, we are calling on Congress to break our dependence on Big Oil and Dirty Coal,” said Ryan Rastegar of Environment Illinois.  “Instead of allowing the costs of fossil fuels to continue to mount, Congress should repower America with clean, renewable energy which will create jobs and stop global warming.”

Nationally, in 2006, U.S. consumers and businesses spent $921 billion on fossil fuels – more than was spent on education or the military.  The country is on track to spend between $23 trillion and $30 trillion on fossil fuels between 2010 and 2030, the high end of which is more than double the nation’s total economic output in 2007.

These figures do not include the untold damages to our environment, health, and society resulting from the production and use of fossil fuels – such as global warming, air and water pollution, mountaintop mining, and oil spills.  “Every additional dollar we spend on fossil fuels just buys us more global warming pollution, more smog, and more asthma attacks,” continued Rastegar.

In contrast, moving to clean energy – wind turbines, solar panels, and energy-efficient homes and buildings – would save money, even excluding the additional benefits for the environment, health, and security.  For instance, a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that transitioning to clean energy would cut costs in the East North Central region by $810 per household annually and save consumers and business a total of $33 billion annually in 2030.  In addition, clean energy creates jobs here at home, since clean energy projects tend to be labor intensive and cannot be outsourced.

“When the choice is between paying to uphold a dirty polluting status quo and investing in a new direction for America, clean energy is the clear winner,” said Robin Roy of Serious Materials.  “Businesses like ours which have been developing and manufacturing sustainable green building materials that dramatically reduce the impact of the ‘built environment’ on the climate  are developing the new clean energy economy.”

On top of being a national priority for our economy, Dan Tobon of VoteVets.org brought up the concern of national security.  “An important consideration that is missing from the calculus of the real cost of fossil fuels is the massive consequence regarding security.  These come in the form of monetary costs (i.e., fighting wars and combating terrorist activities that are partial funded by foreign oil profits), and human costs associated with dead and injured veterans and civilian victims of terrorism,” said Tobon.

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), historic legislation that creates a framework for moving to a clean energy economy and curbing global warming.

“We applaud Representatives Schakowsky, Quigley, Lipinksi, Gutierrez, Bean, Kirk, Halvorson, and Hare for supporting the bill.  We are extremely disappointed that Representatives Biggert, Foster, and Roskam voted against it.  Now is the time for bold and meaningful action on clean energy and global warming.  The Senate must strengthen and pass this critical bill.  We urge Senators Durbin and Burris to move quickly to enact strong solutions for a clean energy economy and stopping global warming,” said Rastegar.

Environment Illinois’s report uses government data to quantify current and projected spending on fossil fuels nationally and by state.  The High Cost of Fossil Fuels: Why America Can’t Afford to Depend on Dirty Energy, includes the following findings:

• Illinois will spend as much as $1,624 more per person every year on fossil fuels in 2030, if we stay on our current energy path.

• In 2006, Illinois spent $2,737 per capita on fossil fuels.  In 2030, that figure is expected to rise to between $3,367 and $4,361 for every man, woman, and child in the state, as much as a 59 percent increase.

The full report, The High Cost of Fossil Fuels: Why America Can’t Afford to Depend on Dirty Energy, is available online, here.

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