Take Action: Make Sure House Does Energy Right!

The House's work on its energy bill will conclude as soon as this week. The good news is that the bill is better than the Senate's, with which it must be reconciled. But it could use one big push to make it a lot better.

As currently drafted the legislation does the following good things:

Increases protection for public lands:  The previous Congress and the Bush administration have systematically weakened protections for public lands to encourage oil and gas development. The House bill takes important steps toward restoring sound stewardship to the management of our public lands, ensuring responsible domestic energy development. The bill also incorporates Friends of the Earth recommendations to create a comprehensive framework to help address the impacts of global warming on our wildlife, public lands, oceans, and coasts.

Increases Energy Efficiency: The House bill uses the force of law to encourage the efficient use of energy by creating new and stronger appliance efficiency, weatherization, and the green building code standards.

Begins to "Decarbonize" the Tax Code: The energy bill begins the massive tax shift needed to encourage renewable energy and energy efficiency investments by cutting subsidies to oil and gas companies and redirecting the revenue to better use. In total, the bill cuts more than $15 billion from oil and gas companies as well as closes down a tax break for the purchase of SUVs, and then reinvests this funding in renewable energy and energy conservation.

So what does the bill still need?

It needs standards for renewable energy sources. Representatives Tom Udall (D-NM) and Todd Platts (R-PA) will be leading efforts on the House floor to add such standards; Friends of the Earth is asking members of Congress to support increasing our use of homegrown renewable resources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass to 20 percent of America's electricity by 2020. The Senate bill failed to include this important component and this is our chance to get it in the final legislation.

It needs tough new fuel economy standards. The best proposal that might make it into the bill is from Rep. Markey (D-MA), and matches the Senate's cautious 35 mpg target - though it lacks the Senate's loopholes, making the target more likely to be met. Even this proposal, which is as good as Markey could make it without certain defeat, has yet to overcome fierce opposition from the auto industry and its allies in both parties. Tell your Representative you expect better.

Send a message to your Representative applauding the good steps but warning against the pitfalls.