In September, Environment Rhode Island and our allies launched a nationwide effort to call on candidates to support our New Energy Future plan.

The plan, which would save a third of the oil we use today and cut our energy use 10 percent by 2025, has attracted support from members of Congress, leading environmentalists, energy experts, hundreds of state and national environmental groups and thousands of ordinary citizens.

The plan addresses the four steps needed to set forth on a New Energy Future and sets science-based goals for changing America’s course on energy.

Reducing dependence on oil
Our ambitious plan aims at reducing oil use by one-third by 2025. Our demand for oil has been on a skyrocketing upward trajectory—the DOE predicts that America will use approximately 25 percent more oil in 2025 than we do today—and using 33 percent less sounds fantastic.

Given that some hybrid cars can get 100 miles to a gallon of gas, increasing fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon is well within reach. A bill to raise fuel efficiency standards introduced last year had the support of some formerly vocal opponents.

Clean, renewable, homegrown energy
Our plan lays out how to get 25 percent of our energy from clean, renewable, homegrown sources by 2025. We need to tap into the virtually limitless potential our country has to generate electricity from renewable energy sources, especially as we make technological advances.

Wind power could provide as much as 30 percent of America’s electricity by 2025 and possibly more as new technologies and practices allow for us to integrate more wind power into America’s electricity of our total energy use in 2025.Additional renewable energy from wave and tidal power, solar hot water heaters, and geothermal heat pumps are in development right now, and show strong potential.

Saving energy
Our plan reduces America’s energy use by 10 percent by 2025. Faced with rolling blackouts during California’s recent energy crisis, the state embarked on an ambitious energy-saving strategy that shaved more than 6 percent off the state’s electricity consumption within a single year.

We’ll reach our goal by setting stronger energy-efficiency standards for household and commercial appliances, requiring utilities to meet growing energy needs through energy-efficiency improvements instead of new power plants, expanding energy efficiency programs and educating the public about the benefits of conserving energy.

Investing in technology
New homes meeting Energy Star home standards use 15 percent less energy than homes meeting even the most rigorous current building codes. With tax credits to build such dwellings, office-buildings and public spaces, we could help meet a lot of our goals.

By developing and implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, the United States can become the global leader in new energy technologies, a field that will become increasingly popular and in-demand given the threats posed by global warming. mix. Using plant-based fuels to substitute for oil in transportation and industry could supply about 4.5 percent

Mission Statement

As Rhode Islanders, we all want a clean environment. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That’s the idea behind Environment Rhode Island. We focus exclusively on protecting Rhode Island’s air, water and open spaces. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

MEMBER ACTION:
Sign up for e-mail issue alerts