For Immediate Release

{May 14, 2007}

Washington, DC - Nineteen Democratic members of Congress urged their leaders to balance economic and environmental interests in the Party’s energy policies in a letter sent Monday.

 

Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), who organized the group letter, said Democrats representing energy-producing districts were wary of being misunderstood on one of the Party’s most attention-grabbing issues.

 

“Global climate change is a major concern for us, and we support diversification of the energy supply by increasing renewable sources,” he said. “Our message is we need to be realistic and build consensus in our approach to energy policy in order to avoid disruptions in the supply and in the price of energy in this country.”

 

The letter, addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), expressed concerns about a consumer backlash in the event of policy-driven “price spikes” and disruptions in the supply of gasoline and natural gas.

 

Specifically, the letter urged Party leaders to consider a probable increase in demand for natural gas in the short term and likely job loss in the energy industry as they consider laws capping greenhouse gas emissions.

 

“Our goal is a climate and energy policy that maximizes greenhouse emission reductions while minimizing negative impacts to the economy such as shortages and price spikes,” the letter said in part.

 

“We are hoping for a Democratic Party energy platform that the whole party can support,” Green said. “We want to be part of the formulation process so Democrats from energy-producing districts are part of the solution to climate change caused by human activity.”