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The California-based Sierra Club, one of the nation’s oldest and largest environmental organizations, has begun a new campaign called My Generation to bring more local clean energy, such as solar and wind power, to California. The Sierra Club has sent out petitions to its members, asking them to contact California Governor Jerry Brown to sign a “Clean Energy Bill of Rights” which contains a number of elements:
1. Universal Access to local clean energy;
2. Healthy Communities, with clean air and water, local family-sustaining jobs, and economic prosperity.
3. Reduced Harm to Low Income Communities & Communities of Color, which, according to Sierra Club, suffer disproportionately from the effects of dirty energy such as coal generation;
4. Right of Self Generation of local clean energy without unnecessary obstacles or red tape;
5. Right to Earn Money from abundant and unlimited clean energy sources such as sunshine and wind;
6. Equitable Benefits to ensure that all Californians benefit from the clean energy economy;
7. Energy Efficiency, through well-designed programs to help Californians waste less energy and lower their utility bills;
8. Community Participation in decisions about energy; and
9. Energy Security, including the use of local clean energy to protect people from the risk of rising fossil fuel costs and vulnerable energy supplies.
According to the Sierra Club’s campaign, local clean energy will thus bring more jobs, more savings, and cleaner air to California.
Related Obama administration efforts
The Sierra Club’s My Generation effort to bring more clean energy to California follows efforts by President Obama’s administration thus far to increase the development and use of clean energy throughout the United States. For example, the U.S. Department of the Interior has granted numerous approvals to companies to build solar facilities on U.S. public lands. Most such grants have been in California, and are expected to generate many jobs. This effort is part of what President Obama calls the “all of the above” approach to develop energy sources in the U.S., which also includes increased drilling for oil.
© 2012 Matthew Emmer -- All Rights Reserved
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