Dear Mr. President:
The purpose of this letter is to request your commitment to the promotion of renewable energy technologies by joining and supporting the specific and concrete goals of the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition (JREC). As a first step, the U.S. government should attend the International Conference for Renewable Energy, which will be held in Bonn, Germany from June 1 to June 4, 2004. JREC was formed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 and is currently composed of 82 member states. This Coalition has recognized the urgent need for significantly increasing the proportion of renewable energy in order to achieve sustainable development and the United Nations Millenium Development Goals.
In the joint declaration, The Way Forward on Renewable Energy, member countries of JREC have pledged to make specific commitments, based on the central role renewable energy can play to "reduce pollution, diversify and secure energy supply and help provide access to energy in support of poverty eradication." In addition, renewable energy provides health benefits by reducing local and indoor air pollution, generates good paying high-tech jobs, and creates significant income-generating opportunities for investors. The United States has the opportunity to benefit from and be a leader in the development of renewable energy technologies.
Germany provided leadership in promoting renewable energy when Chancellor Gerhard Schröder invited the international community to an international conference for renewable energies. We respectfully urge you to attend this upcoming International Conference for Renewable Energies (also known as Renewables 2004). It is time for our government to acknowledge the threat of climate change and address the emissions of fossil fuels that are responsible for this threat. The U.S. should promote new renewable energy, like wind and solar, and energy efficiency as the necessary long-term solutions to prevent the dangerous effects of climate change and can use the International Conference for Renewable Energies to announce our commitment to do so.
In order to substantially increase the proportion of renewable energies and maximize their advantages and potentials, the Renewables 2004 conference will focus on forming a political framework that will enable the market development of renewable energies, increasing private and public financing in order to secure reliable demand for renewable energies, and building human and institutional capacity, coordination and intensification of research and development.
The Renewables 2004 Conference is expected to produce the following outcomes:
- A political declaration describing common political objectives, offering a vision of how renewable energy can play a greater role in a more efficient and sustainable energy system, and including agreements on a follow-up process
- An international action plan in which various governments and actors propose concrete actions and voluntary commitments/goals for developing renewable energies (e.g. Global Renewable Portfolio Standards)
- Guidance for good policy leading to greater impact and increased coherence of the policy strategies employed.
By attending this conference, the United States can offer its technical and policy expertise, as well as ensure our country's economic prosperity and national security through increasing our share of renewable energy production. According to the Energy Information Administration, the United States produced less than two percent of its renewable energy from non-hydro renewable sources in 2002. However, the United States has abundant renewable sources that can be tapped to increase that proportion. Already 12 states (ME, MA, CT, NJ, PA, IA, WI, TX, NM, AZ, CA, NV) have committed to a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to increase the role of renewable energy in meeting their rising energy demands. In addition, Renewable Energy Funds have been created by 13 states (MA, RI, CT, NJ, NY, PA, IL, WI, MT, OR, CA, AZ, NM). The federal government should help lead in the promotion of renewable energy technologies and policies to overcome market barriers, such as enacting a federal RPS.
Renewables 2004 calls for action and commitments by governments, civil society groups, and business and finance groups to help overcome the obstacles that prevent renewable energy from being competitive in the energy market. In order to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels that have negative environmental effects, we urge you to commit to producing 20 percent of our energy from new renewable sources by the year 2020. A federal commitment to invest in clean energy at this level (20% by 2020) will create hundreds of thousands, if not more, of new, permanent jobs for the United States economy, and this investment will lead the United States along a path of increased energy and national security.
The growing energy needs in the developing world could also provide huge export markets for the renewable energy industry in the U.S. Currently, the inability to access export finance has been identified by renewable energy companies as the number one barrier they face to market establishment. In order to recognize the economic opportunity that can come from renewable energy development, we request that U.S. Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) be required to immediately target 20 percent of energy sector lending to renewable energy and energy efficient projects. In addition, we hope the U.S. can be a leader in the establishment of a global renewable energy standard for electricity of 20 percent renewable electricity by 2020.
Once the United States becomes a member of JREC, we request that your administration help create a financial mechanism for the financing of programs within the Brasilia platform and other Southern renewable energy programs that have been formed in the preparatory meetings to the Renewables 2004 conference. We also urge the adoption of pro-renewable/energy efficiency procurement policies and the dedication of federal development aid to specific projects.
We strongly urge you to join the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition and attend the International Conference for Renewable Energies. We look forward to your response in the coming weeks prior to the beginning of the conference.
Sincerely,