Administration Plans Will Help Cut Pollution, Grow Economy

Washington, D.C.--President Obama today announced new energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs--standards which could obviate the need for the amount of energy produced by 14 dirty coal-fired power plants.  The president also announced plans to speed up the release of some $346 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding devoted to the development, deployment, and use of energy-efficient technologies in residential and commercial buildings.  The Sierra Club offered the following comments in response.

Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director

"Slashing our energy waste is the cheapest and fastest way to slash energy costs, emissions, and our depedence on the dirty energy sources of the past.  As the president points out, simply improving the performance of our light bulbs can eliminate the need the amount of energy produced by more than a dozen dirty coal plants.  Just imagine what an economy-wide commitment to slashing energy waste could do.

"The administration's historic investments in energy efficiency are already creating thousands of jobs across the country.  Today's announcement simply means more jobs, lower energy bills, and less pollution--all even sooner than expected. 

"Investing in high-performance vehicles, homes, offices, and factories and energy efficient appliances is one way to protect both our planet and our pocketbooks."