ENERGY INDEPENDENCE 2020
CREATING A CLEANER, GREENER AND MORE SECURE AMERICA
Democrats believe the Federal government must do a better job of protecting consumers, businesses, and farmers burdened by today's skyrocketing energy prices. We must also break our country's dangerous reliance on foreign energy. With leadership and vision, we can help ensure low cost supplies of sustainable energy that will improve America's security, reduce the burden on middle class families, and help clean our environment. That's why Democrats have a strategy to make America energy independent by the year 2020. We plan to:
Reduce Burdens on Consumers and the Environment
- Prevent oil company price gouging, market manipulation, and disaster profiteering
- Increase energy market transparency and consumer choice at the pump
- Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to cover increased household energy costs
- Provide car buyers with accurate fuel economy information
- Protect pristine public lands from short-sighted oil and gas exploitation
- Enhance funding for weatherization and low-income energy assistance in all climates
- Free the US from foreign oil by 2020 by supporting research, development, and production of alternative energy sources..
- Establish a national electricity standard that requires greater use of renewable energy
- Enhance incentives for energy production from solar, wind, and geothermal
- Increase dramatically the production of domestically grown biofuels
- Increase environmentally friendly extraction of oil and gas from existing domestic sources
- Encourage construction of the Alaskan natural gas pipeline
- Support the development of a hydrogen economy
- Promote deployment of advanced clean coal technology with carbon capture and storage
- Create geographically diverse strategic gasoline and jet fuel reserves
- Streamline fuel specifications while maintaining state clean air protections
- Encourage the development of a smarter and more distributed electricity system
- Lower petroleum use in the federal fleet and improve government conservation efforts
- Provide consumers with more fuel efficient vehicle choices
- Develop renewable substitutes to replace natural gas use in the petrochemical industry
- Improve infrastructure and electricity options for hybrids and plug-in hybrids
- Increase mass transit use and incentivize transit-oriented development
- Improve air traffic management to shorten flight times
- Reduce tractor trailer fuel needs by improving aerodynamics, logistics, and idling
- Update efficiency standards for appliances and small engines
- Invest in math and science education for the next generation of energy engineers
- Ensure access to worker training and retraining in advanced energy technologies
- Leverage trade relationships to maintain competitiveness of energy-intensive U.S. manufacturers
