home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Xref: sparky sci.energy:6346 talk.environment:5194 sci.environment:13781 alt.activism:19753 talk.politics.misc:65087
- Newsgroups: sci.energy,talk.environment,sci.environment,alt.activism,talk.politics.misc
- Path: sparky!uunet!utcsri!geac!r-node!ndallen
- From: ndallen@r-node.gts.org (Nigel Allen)
- Subject: Environmentalists Respond to Clinton's Choice for Energy Secretary
- Message-ID: <1992Dec22.085317.15421@r-node.gts.org>
- Organization: Echo Beach, Toronto
- Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 08:53:17 GMT
- Lines: 79
-
- Here is a press release from several environmental groups.
-
- Environmentalists Respond to President-elect Clinton Choice
- for Energy Secretary
- To: National Desk, Environment and Energy writer
- Contact: Phil Sparks of the Communication Consortium,
- 202-682-1270;
- Randall Swisher of the American Wind Energy
- Association, 202-408-8988;
- Marc Ledbetter of the American Council for an
- Energy-Efficient Economy, 202-429-8873;
- Scott Denman of the Safe Energy Communication
- Council, 202-483-8491
-
- WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- As President-elect Clinton
- announced his choice of Hazel Rollins O'Leary to be
- Secretary of Energy today the environmental community urged
- O'Leary to carefully consider a broad range of energy efficiency
- and renewable energy initiatives contained in the community's
- Sustainable Energy Blueprint.
- Issued in late November to the Clinton/Gore transition team
- and the new Congress, the Energy Blueprint was endorsed by more
- than 85 environmental organizations including the Natural
- Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Earth and Environmental
- Action.
- The Blueprint urged a redirection of U.S. energy policy,
- stressing energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, and
- moving away from a reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
- Below are response statements from leading environmentalists:
-
- Statement of Randall Swisher, executive director, American
- Wind Energy Association:
- "We are encouraged by the appointment of Hazel O'Leary, who
- happens to serve as senior executive of one of our member
- utilities. Northern States Power (NSP) has stood out within the
- utility industry in its innovative attitudes toward renewable
- energy and energy efficiency. Within the last year, NSP has
- announced its intention to add 100 MW of wind capacity to its
- system, and is currently evaluating bidders for the first 25 MW
- which it hopes to have on line by 1994. If the project proceeds
- on schedule, NSP would become owner of what at that time would be
- the largest utility-owned windfarm in the U.S.
- "It will take strong, capable leadership to redefine the
- riorities of the Department of Energy in keeping with the
- campaign promises of the Clinton-Gore campaign to place greater
- emphasis on renewable energy, energy efficiency and natural gas.
- Hazel O'Leary appears to be someone with the competence and
- experience to get the job done."
-
- Statement of Marc Ledbetter, energy policy analyst, American
- Council for An Energy-efficient Economy:
- "We know little about Hazel O'Leary, but our expectations are
- high. She has been nominated by a president- and vice
- president-elect who have made clear their intentions to seriously
- address greenhouse gas emissions and long-term domestic economic
- problems. Doing both will require a strong commitment to
- improving energy efficiency, which Ms. O'Leary, as energy
- secretary, will have to lead."
-
- Statement of Scott Denman, executive director of the Safe
- Energy Communication Council:
- "Mrs. O'Leary will bring considerable energy policy expertise to
- the Clinton team. Her major challenge will be to fulfill Clinton's
- campaign promise to shift federal energy policy support toward energy
- efficiency and renewable energy resources, and away from the
- traditional bias for nuclear power and fossil fuels.
- "Hazel O'Leary will now represent the American people instead of
- utility stockholders. We are optimistic that she will be an agent of
- change in her new role.
- "Currently the executive vice-president of Northern States Power
- (NSP), the Minnesota utility, Mrs. O'Leary is a supporter of
- conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy resources as
- well as the development of utility incentives for such programs. Her
- career includes a distinguished career with the Department of Energy;
- her background in utility demand side management programs could be a
- valuable asset in helping the new administration exploit their vast
- economic and jobs-producing potential."
- -30-
- --
-