NEW ENERGY FUTURE—Energy Advocate Kate Johnson is demonstrating the role that energy efficiency can play in cutting energy use by 25 percent.

This past fall, U.S. PIRG’s New Energy Future campaign focused on the 2006 election as an opportunity to show public support for moving America beyond oil and toward a cleaner and more secure energy future.

The campaign asked congressional candidates to endorse the New Energy Future platform, a bold plan to change America’s course on energy—reducing our dependence on oil and finding ways to harness clean, renewable, homegrown energy sources.

The New Energy Future platform reduces oil dependence, increases clean renewable energy and energy efficiency and invests in research and development.

In Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Maine, our state organizations ran similar campaigns focused on candidates for state office.

Energy Issues A Top Priority
In just six weeks, New Energy Future organizers, activists and volunteers worked in the most high profile congressional races, raising the visibility of the campaign at candidate events, collecting petition signatures, and submitting letters to the editor.

New Energy Future activists turned out to candidate debates from Pennsylvania to Washington, asking the candidates where they stand on energy issues.

On November 8, we released the names of 178 candidates who had signed on to the pledge, including 57 who came to Washington when the 110th Congress convened for the first time in January.

In addition to endorsing the New Energy Future platform, candidates in a number of districts ran ads to stake out their position in support of clean energy, energy independence and solutions to rising gas prices.

“Our campaign demonstrated that the American people want Congress to move America toward a new, cleaner energy future. Candidates across the country and across the political spectrum endorsed the New Energy Future platform, showing that the platform is not just good policy but good politics,” said U.S. PIRG Clean Energy Advocate Kate Johnson.

As a further testament to the importance of energy in the 2006 election, many candidates criticized their opponents for their ties to Big Oil and other powerful interests in the energy business.
Energy ads ran in at least nine Senate races.

Six Senate candidates in high-profile races in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey endorsed the New Energy Future platform.

In Connecticut, Sen. Joseph Lieberman touted his record on global warming and energy in ads and speeches as he successfully fended off Democratic challenger Ned Lamont.

With candidates running ads and talking about energy, there is little surprise that energy played a role in the press coverage of the elections as well.

Perhaps one of the best examples of a potential New Energy Future champion is that of Jerry McNerney, who unseated Rep. Richard Pombo, in California’s district 11.

McNerney campaigned heavily on his record as a renewable energy businessman, and featured wind turbines and the slogan “New Energy for Congress” throughout his campaign.

As chairman of the Resources Committee, Rep. Pombo was widely known as an opponent on environmental issues, and his ties to the oil industry were highlighted in the campaign.

Bipartisan Support
Support for clean energy in the midterm elections was not limited to one party or any particular political orientation.

The 2006 elections saw conservative candidates supporting renewable energy, reducing our dependence on oil, and energy conservation policies.

This trend was highlighted by New Energy Future endorsers reaching across the political spectrum from California’s Lynn Woolsey to Pennsylvania’s Rick Santorum and Curt Weldon, Georgia’s Mac Collins and Sanford Bishop, and Minnesota’s Gil Gutknecht.

In several races, both candidates staked out a position in favor of clean energy by supporting the New Energy Future platform. Support for a New Energy Future crossed partisan lines in 15 races. Similarly, where we sought the support of state candidates for the platform, we found bi-partisan support. In Pennsylvania, more than 141 state candidates, including more than 50 incumbents endorsed the platform.

Congress Delivers
The 110th Congress includes some new and old champions for sound energy policy.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has consistently supported clean energy policies. Incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) both staked a claim as leaders on energy by endorsing the New Energy Future platform.

Speaker Pelosi did not hesitate to act, making clean energy one of six issues on her agenda for the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress.

Thanks in part to the support of many of our New Energy Future endorsers, on January 18 the CLEAN Energy Act was passed with a 100-vote majority. The bill creates a $14 billion fund for clean energy by repealing some tax breaks and incentives for the oil and gas industry.

In our state-based efforts, we saw similar support from leadership, including Joe Hackney, the Democratic Majority Leader in North Carolina and Sen. Patricia Birkholtz, the Republican Chairwoman of the Michigan Natural Resources Committee.

The message from the 2006 election is clear. Voters want a new direction for America.

The 110th Congress should continue to deliver on an agenda for a New Energy Future that will put our national security, the economy and our environment ahead of Big Oil and other powerful interests.

The full list of New Energy Future endorsers and more information on our next steps on the campaign can be found on our Web site, www.uspirg.org.