Doyle Energy Watch

Broad coalition thanks Rep. Doyle

2009-05-21T22:01:00.003-04:00

In response to the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act through the House Energy and Commerce Committee, League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski, Vote Vets Chairman Jon Soltz, AFL-CIO Building & Construction Trades Department President Mark Ayers, and Clean Economy Network President Jeff Anderson issued the following joint statement:

“Today, Representative Mike Doyle cast one of the most important votes of his career. In supporting the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, he put America on the path to a clean energy economy that will create millions of jobs, reduce our dangerous addiction to foreign oil, and protect our planet from global warming. His constituents should be proud of their Representative and proud to have elected him.

The millions of workers, business leaders, environmentalists, and veterans that we represent are grateful to Representative Doyle and offer our congratulations for his courageous action. We will continue to stand with forward thinking Members of Congress to strengthen and support this bill until President Obama signs it into law.”

Note: Pennsylvania Reps. Tim Murphy and Joseph Pitts voted against final passage of the bill.

Rep. Doyle votes for clean energy bill

2009-05-21T20:51:00.004-04:00

Rep. Doyle has just voted for the American Clean Energy & Security Act in the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

Call Rep. Doyle at (202) 225-2135 and thank him for supporting a new clean energy future.

Tracking Rep. Doyle's committee votes

2009-05-20T17:51:00.001-04:00

Before the House Energy & Commerce Committee's final vote on the American Clean Energy & Security Act later this week, Rep. Doyle and his colleagues will cast many key committee votes.

To keep track of how Rep. Doyle votes on key amendments to the bill, visit LCV's special online committee edition of its nationally respected Environmental Scorecard at www.lcv.org/aces. The site includes detailed descriptions of amendments and each committee members' vote on those amendments.

Check back throughout the day and the week for the latest updates.

President announces national fuel efficiency policy

2009-05-19T15:07:00.003-04:00

As Rep. Doyle and his colleagues on the House Energy & Commerce Committee debate the American Clean Energy & Security Act, President Obama today set in motion a new national policy aimed at increasing fuel economy. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016, are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program.

The policy will increase the strength and competitiveness of America’s automakers, save consumers untold billions in future gas costs and significantly reduce the amount of global warming pollution our country will emit. Click here for more information.

Now it's time for Congress to act and further move us towards a cleaner, safer energy future.

Clean energy jobs for America

2009-05-19T10:10:00.001-04:00

Doing nothing is not an option

2009-05-18T09:06:00.005-04:00

This week, the Energy & Commerce Committee begins work on the American Clean Energy & Security Act (H.R. 2454). This comprehensive clean energy plan will create the industries of tomorrow and millions of new American jobs.

At a time when America has lost millions of jobs, it’s clear that we need to start moving in a new direction. Saying “no” or supporting the status quo is not an option.

But without a clear signal from the federal government about the direction of our energy future, investors and entrepreneurs won’t make any new investments. This means that new construction, new opportunities and new jobs won’t happen until Congress acts. In other words, we need Congress to send a clear signal that clean, low-carbon energy sources will power this country in the 21st century.

The American Clean Energy & Security Act is a strong start. It’s exactly the kind forward looking policy that will make the U.S. a leader in the clean energy technologies of the future.

Call Rep. Doyle at (202) 225-2135. Tell him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

President discusses energy bill in weekly address

2009-05-16T12:44:00.004-04:00

What are the tools that build a stronger future?

2009-05-14T12:41:00.002-04:00

Click here for more from America's Building Trades Unions.

Big Oil's got the fattest wallet in the world

2009-05-12T10:31:00.001-04:00

Big Oil is attempting to mislead the public and scare members of Congress into voting against comprehensive clean energy legislation. Check out the below radio ad, which highlights the profit-driven motivations behind the oil industry’s staunch opposition to energy reform and calls on Americans to ignore the lies coming from the richest, dirtiest, most insidious industry in America.

Click here for more information on the oil industry front group that recently launched a series of false and misleading radio ads.

Thousands of Pennsylvania clean energy jobs

2009-05-07T09:18:00.000-04:00

Big Oil launches false, misleading radio ads

2009-04-30T16:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the American Energy Alliance – a front group for Big Oil run by an oil industry lobbyist – launched a false and misleading radio ad in Rep. Doyle’s district.

The ad cites an M.I.T. study to back up the claim that shifting U.S. energy production to clean energy sources will impose a $3,100 "energy tax," but the author of that study says that statistic is "just wrong."

In fact, a recent Environmental Protection Agency analysis of the American Clean Energy & Security Act draft legislation says families will save money!

This oil company front group wants to prevent us from building a new clean energy economy. They want to continue the failed energy policies of the past, which means that Big Oil companies get billions in tax breaks, while America falls further behind as other countries develop the clean energy technologies of the future.

Click here for more information.

Call Rep. Doyle at (202) 225-2135. Tell him to say "No" to Big Oil by supporting the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

Building Trades Unions launch clean energy radio ad

2009-04-30T14:48:00.004-04:00

The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO - an alliance of 13 national and international unions who collectively represent 2.5 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada - launched a new radio ad in Rep. Doyle's district this week.

America’s Building Trades Unions have launched a major new paid media campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to enact a clean energy plan that will make America a global leader in energy, while also developing the domestic energy technologies that will create American jobs and strengthen our economy for years to come.

Click here to listen to the radio ad.

Building an American clean energy economy

2009-04-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

Make our energy clean, make it in America

2009-04-23T12:42:00.004-04:00

President talks clean energy jobs on Earth Day

2009-04-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

President Obama spent Earth Day touring a wind turbine plant in Iowa to highlight how we can create jobs in a new clean energy economy:

"Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy. The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. We can allow climate change to wreak unnatural havoc across the landscape, or we can create jobs working to prevent its worst effects. We can hand over the jobs of the 21st century to our competitors, or we can confront what countries in Europe and Asia have already recognized as both a challenge and an opportunity: The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy.

"America can be that nation. America must be that nation. And while we seek new forms of fuel to power our homes and cars and businesses, we will rely on the same ingenuity -- the same American spirit -- that has always been a part of our American story."

Click here to read the entire speech.

Hearings begin today

2009-04-21T13:51:00.002-04:00

Today the Energy & Commerce Committee in the U.S. House begins hearings on the American Clean Energy & Security Act. The legislation will usher in a new era of clean energy production in the U.S. – creating millions of new clean energy jobs, limiting the pollution that causes global warming and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil.

As a member of Energy & the Environment Subcommittee, Rep. Doyle has an opportunity to significantly influence and shape this legislation. Yet greedy corporate polluters are waging an aggressive campaign to weaken the bill and keep America dependent on the failed energy policies of the past – allowing other countries to take advantage of the growing clean energy industries while America’s economy continues to struggle.

Call Rep. Doyle at (202) 225-2135. Tell him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

The potential for new jobs

2009-04-20T15:59:00.002-04:00

President Obama discusses clean energy

2009-04-14T15:49:00.000-04:00

President Obama gave a major economic speech today in which he said that the only way to achieve the full economic potential of new clean energy opportunities is to reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming.

"Now, the third pillar of this new foundation is to harness the renewable energy that can create millions of new jobs and new industries. We all know that the country that harnesses this new energy source will lead the 21st century. Yet we’ve allowed other countries to outpace us on this race to the future.

"I don’t know about you, but I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders. I think it’s time for America to lead again.

"So the investments we made in the Recovery Act will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. And we are putting Americans to work, making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions on our energy bills and grow our economy at the same time.

"Now, the only way, though, that we can truly spark the transformation that’s needed is through a gradual, market-based cap on carbon pollution so that clean energy is a profitable kind of energy."

Rep. Doyle quoted in Washington Post

2009-04-01T12:58:00.000-04:00

Rep. Doyle was quoted in today’s Washington Post regarding the draft energy legislation that was introduced in the U.S. House yesterday.

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), a key swing vote on Markey's subcommittee, said that he welcomed some of the concessions to carbon-dependent regions such as his own district but that he has not decided whether to back the bill.

It's come a long way. We've got a long way to go,” Doyle said in an interview. “The devil's always in the details.

Click here to e-mail Rep. Doyle to encourage him to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.

Energy bill introduced today

2009-03-31T14:57:00.000-04:00

Today Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Ed Markey introduced draft clean energy and global warming legislation. This is an important first step to passing a comprehensive energy bill that will spur a new green energy economy, create jobs and curb global warming pollution.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 recognizes that limiting global warming pollution will bring about a clean energy economy that creates jobs, improves our national security and protects our planet – and as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Doyle will play a key role in helping to shape this critical legislation.

Call Rep. Doyle at (412) 261-5091 (Pittsburgh office) and urge him to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.

Support Renewable Energy

2009-03-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

Click here to e-mail Rep. Doyle and ask him to co-sponsor the American Renewable Energy Act (H.R. 889), which would require 25 percent of American energy to come from renewable sources, such as wind, solar and geothermal, by 2025. Tell Rep. Doyle that we can create jobs and protect the planet by investing in clean energy.

District receives energy funding

2009-03-11T12:56:00.000-04:00

Rep. Doyle announced today included in the 2009 Omnibus spending bill that he voted for last month was funding for several renewable energy projects in Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District, including more than $1 million for a solar energy project and over $500,000 for green workforce training jobs and energy efficiency research.

Biden Talks Green Jobs in Philly

2009-02-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

Today at the University of Pennsylvania, Vice President Joe Biden and members of President Obama's cabinet led a discussion on green jobs and how best to both create green jobs quickly and to use green jobs to permanently strengthen the middle class.

Click here to e-mail Rep. Doyle to encourage him to support clean energy initiatives that create green jobs and help curb global warming pollution.

Thank You for Your Vote Today

2009-02-25T18:27:00.000-05:00

We applaud Rep. Doyle for voting today for the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which includes significant funding increases for energy efficiency and renewable programs in the Department of Energy. These funding increases represent a strong next step in forging a cleaner energy future that will create a new generation of well-paying green jobs.

Call the Rep. Doyle at (202) 225-2135 to thank him for voting for a bill that provides much needed funding increases to a host of important environmental, conservation, clean water and clean energy programs.

Addressing Global Warming

2009-02-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

Rep. Doyle was quoted in today’s Post-Gazette on his role as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the committee’s role in shaping climate legislation:

"Some of the other most coveted House committee spots are on the Energy and Commerce panel, which has broad jurisdiction over issues including health care, and environmental issues.
Mr. Doyle is the state's senior Democrat on the panel. Heading its agenda are the hugely contentious issues of climate change legislation and health care reform.
Mr. Doyle argues that action on climate change is well overdue, but he said one of his chief priorities will be the effort to craft controls on carbon emission that do not hamstring heavy manufacturers, such as the steel industry.
"We have to level the playing field," Mr. Doyle said. "If we don't do that, all of these industries are going to move their factories to places like China and Brazil that don't have those rules, then we'd end up with fewer jobs and no gain for the environment."

We encourage Rep. Doyle to always remember that by addressing global warming in a meaningful, substantial way we can also create jobs and stimulate the economy. That’s why the United Steelworkers have been at the forefront of efforts to invest in technology and industries that help spur new “green jobs.” As Leo Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers, recently said, “The commitment to a clean energy economy will not only lead to quality jobs in manufacturing unions and the building trades, it will help stop good-paying jobs from continuing to be exported.”