Congress is considering the first U.S. energy reform bill in almost a decade. But it needs your help to pass — Write your lawmakers today, and insist on no-nonsense, bipartisan energy legislation.

Tell Congress: We Need Energy Reform and We Need it Now

A U.S. energy bill in limbo

Gas prices have dropped to new lows of the decade. The U.S. now gets 2/3 of its oil from natural gas, and it outpaces both Saudi Arabia and Russia in oil production. Green technologies have exploded in popularity and are slowly becoming more efficient and more cost effective. 65% of Americans think climate change is a problem that the government needs to address, including 84% of Democrats, 55% of Independents and 43% of Republicans.

Suffice to say — things have changed in the past 10 years. You might be surprised to learn, then, that the U.S. has not updated its energy policies since 2007, when gas prices were skyrocketing and the U.S. was facing shortages and steep competition abroad. Make no mistake, numerous bills have been tried…and failed in Congress, a legislative body stymied by bipartisan conflict and lack of action.

That was until Fall of 2015. Reps. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, and Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, brought forth a piece of legislation that received widespread bipartisan support.

The Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 moved along fairly quickly (as far as bills on controversial issues in Congress go). After some debate, it was approved by the Senate in April of 2016. One month later, the bill passed the House of Representatives with some changes, and went back to the Senate to be approved.

And then — radio silence.

What was in this bill exactly?

1. Increased subsidies for the research and development of nuclear power technologies
2. Expansion of the nation’s energy grid to accommodate the expanding energy from renewable resources
3. The creation of a program that allows oil and gas companies to research and drill for a new resource, “methane hydrates,” gas that’s contained in our ice caps and under ocean floors
4. Speed permitting for oil and gas exports
5. The creation and maintenance of a petroleum reserve to buffer the effects of international instability
6. Subsidies for research and development into “carbon capture” technologies
7. Funding for hydropower research and development, including funding for the National Marine Hydrokinetic Research Center, which focuses on harnessing power from ocean waves
8. Reduced regulation on hydropower permitting, which eliminates environmental reviews
9. Re-authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses royalties from oil and gas to preserve natural areas and cultural and historic sites
10. Funding for training in renewable energy jobs and skills

…among many other provisions. The bill, while not 100% ideal for either party, received mostly bipartisan support. It’s listed goals were to improve energy efficiency, update energy infrastructure, improve accountability, increase energy production and promote conservation.

What does that mean for renewable energy?

The out-dated technology of our nation’s energy grid is the №1 impediment to growth in the renewable energy sector, and thus, this update is absolutely crucial to our ability to produce and use more renewable energy.

Because the production of wind and solar energy is variable, based on hourly weather conditions, it means that in some states, like Nebraska, as much as 50% of their energy production could be coming from wind farms. However, since only a very small percentage of that energy is usable at a given time, any excess energy produced currently goes to waste.

Updates to our electrical grid would include interstate electrical lines that would allow states with high-production rates to transport their excess energy to areas where it’s needed, and it would include investment in energy-storage technology that would allow surplus energy to be stored for times of the day when production is low — such as solar energy stored for use at night.

While we would like to see more subsidies given to renewable energy research and the introduction of a nation-wide carbon tax, we must encourage these updates to our electrical grid, and we must do it now. Our nation-wide goals of 25% renewable energy use by 2050 will not be possible to achieve without it.

So what happened?

What happened is what happens with most major bills in Congress. Small, insidious pieces of barely relevant, nonnegotiable partisan policies are slipped into the footnotes each time the bill switches hands. While the bill left the Senate with bipartisan backing, it came back from the House with some wildly controversial amendments. A few, of which, President Obama has already threatened with veto.

While the legislation went primarily unopposed by Republicans, hard right-wing politicians are concerned about over spending on potentially wasteful programs and over regulation by the federal government.

Democrats and Independents who oppose the bill say it is largely unbalanced — with the bulk of the bill supporting the oil and gas industry and very few provisions to promote renewable energy resources.

Here are just a few of the dangerous amendments that we disagree with:

• It included a provision that deems the burning of biomass (trees) for energy a “carbon neutral” practice. While burning trees for energy may sound good in theory, in practice
• Streamlining oil and gas permits would make it easier for pipelines to cut across national parks and protected land without contest.
• It would rollback protection of certain species (Search for “Modernization”), including the gray wolf, Mexican gray wolf, northern long-eared bats, migratory birds and other wildlife. It also included a proposed amendment that limits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ability to regulate the importation and exportation of ivory and amends the Endangered Species Act to allow for the importation of sport-hunted elephant trophies.
• It would repeal existing Department of Energy programs that regulate energy efficiency at manufacturing facilities and a current program to phase out the use of fossil fuels in federal buildings.
• It allows current renewable energy tax credits to expire.

Many of the amendments added by the House have little, if anything, to do with energy reform. In addition, a great majority of them directly contradict the stated purpose of the bill — to improve energy efficiency. These amendments would reverse many of the achievements made in the past few years by the environmental and conservation movements.

What can I do?

The likelihood of Congress passing a piece of legislation on such a major and divisive issue during an election year is slim — but not impossible. After months of delays, lawmakers have now reconvened to find a solution.

You can track progress of the bill at govtrack.us, which has estimated the bill a 37% chance of being passed. Even better though, you can write or call your representatives and senators and insist on a bipartisan agreement that protects the environment and promotes green energy sources.

Writing letters may seem old fashioned, but it is one of the most time-honored methods of change in lawmaking. Don’t underestimate your power as an individual to influence the current state of affairs.

When we stand together, our voices are heard. When we take action, we are a force to be reckoned with.

Enomad supports clean, affordable energy for all. To read more about what we’re up to, find us on our blog, Facebook or Twitter.