Gonzalez Energy Watch

Broad coalition thanks Reps. Gonzalez

2009-05-21T22:54:00.004-05:00

In response to the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act through the House Energy and Commerce Committee, League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski, Vote Vets Chairman Jon Soltz, AFL-CIO Building & Construction Trades Department President Mark Ayers, and Clean Economy Network President Jeff Anderson issued the following joint statement:

“Today, Representatives Charlie Gonzalez and Gene Green cast one of the most important votes of their careers. In supporting the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, they put America on the path to a clean energy economy that will create millions of jobs, reduce our dangerous addiction to foreign oil, and protect our planet from global warming. Their constituents should be proud of these Representatives.

“The millions of workers, business leaders, environmentalists, and veterans that we represent are grateful to Representatives Gonzalez and Green and offer our congratulations for their courageous action. We will continue to stand with forward thinking Members of Congress to strengthen and support this bill until President Obama signs it into law.”

Note: Texas Reps. Joe Barton, Ralph Hall, and Michael Burgess voted against final passage of the bill.

Rep. Gonzalez votes for clean energy bill

2009-05-21T19:54:00.003-05:00

Rep. Gonzalez has just voted for the American Clean Energy & Security Act in the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236 and thank him for supporting a new clean energy future.

Tracking Rep. Gonzalez's committee votes

2009-05-20T14:56:00.000-05:00

Before the House Energy & Commerce Committee's final vote on the American Clean Energy & Security Act later this week, Rep. Gonzalez and his colleagues will cast many key committee votes.

To keep track of how Rep. Gonzalez votes on key amendments to the bill, visit LCV's special online committee edition of its nationally respected Environmental Scorecard at www.lcv.org/aces. The site includes detailed descriptions of amendments and each committee members' vote on those amendments.

Check back throughout the day and the week for the latest updates.

President announces national fuel efficiency policy

2009-05-19T14:08:00.004-05:00

As Rep. Gonzalez and his colleagues on the House Energy & Commerce Committee debate the American Clean Energy & Security Act, President Obama today set in motion a new national policy aimed at increasing fuel economy. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016, are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program.

The policy will increase the strength and competitiveness of America’s automakers, save consumers untold billions in future gas costs and significantly reduce the amount of global warming pollution our country will emit. Click here for more information.

Now it's time for Congress to act and further move us towards a cleaner, safer energy future.

Local residents rally for clean energy

2009-05-19T11:51:00.003-05:00

The San Antonio Current blogged yesterday about a group of local residents who gathered in support of clean energy jobs and urged Rep. Gonzalez to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

The participants held signs reading "Clean Energy Jobs Now!" and presented a Gonzalez aide with a green construction hat to symbolize the millions of green jobs that would be created by this comprehensive clean energy legislation.

Click here to e-mail Rep. Gonzalez. Tell him that residents of the 20th congressional district want Congress to pass a comprehensive clean energy bill that will create jobs and make the U.S. a leader in clean energy.

Clean energy jobs for America

2009-05-19T09:09:00.001-05:00

Doing nothing is not an option

2009-05-18T08:07:00.005-05:00

This week, the Energy & Commerce Committee begins work on the American Clean Energy & Security Act (H.R. 2454). This comprehensive clean energy plan will create the industries of tomorrow and millions of new American jobs.

At a time when America has lost millions of jobs, it’s clear that we need to start moving in a new direction. Saying “no” or supporting the status quo is not an option.

But without a clear signal from the federal government about the direction of our energy future, investors and entrepreneurs won’t make any new investments. This means that new construction, new opportunities and new jobs won’t happen until Congress acts. In other words, we need Congress to send a clear signal that clean, low-carbon energy sources will power this country in the 21st century.

The American Clean Energy & Security Act is a strong start. It’s exactly the kind forward looking policy that will make the U.S. a leader in the clean energy technologies of the future.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236. Tell him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

President discusses energy bill in weekly address

2009-05-16T11:43:00.004-05:00

The clean American dream

2009-05-14T08:01:00.000-05:00

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236. Tell him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

What are the tools that build a stronger future?

2009-05-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

Click here for more from America's Building Trades Unions.

Democracia Ahora launches bilingual radio ads on clean energy

2009-05-08T12:14:00.000-05:00

Recently, Democracia Ahora, an advocacy organization committed to advancing federal and state legislation vital to Hispanic communities, launched a bilingual radio campaign in Rep. Gonzalez's district. The ads urge the congressman to support a clean energy plan that will make America a global leader in energy, while also creating jobs that will grow local economies and create a green pathway out of poverty.

"These bilingual radio ads reinforce Democracia Ahora’s commitment to educate, empower and engage Latinos on issues that are vital to our community by urging them to engage with their local U.S. Representatives on the vital issue of Clean Energy," said Jorge Mursuli, Executive Director of Democracia Ahora. "The American Clean Energy and Security Act will build a green economy and create millions of new jobs for U.S. Hispanics and all Americans."

Click here to listen to both English and Spanish-language ads.

370,000 Texas clean energy jobs

2009-05-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

Vets urge Rep. Gonzalez to support clean energy

2009-05-06T08:14:00.000-05:00

Big Oil launches false, misleading radio ads

2009-04-30T15:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, the American Energy Alliance – a front group for Big Oil run by an oil industry lobbyist – launched a false and misleading radio ad in Rep. Gonzalez’s district.

The ad cites an M.I.T. study to back up the claim that shifting U.S. energy production to clean energy sources will impose a $3,100 "energy tax," but the author of that study says that statistic is "just wrong."

In fact, a recent Environmental Protection Agency analysis of the American Clean Energy & Security Act draft legislation says families will save money!

This oil company front group wants to prevent us from building a new clean energy economy. They want to continue the failed energy policies of the past, which means that Big Oil companies get billions in tax breaks, while America falls further behind as other countries develop the clean energy technologies of the future.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236. Tell him to say "No" to Big Oil by supporting the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

Building an American clean energy economy

2009-04-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

Building Trades Unions launch clean energy radio ad

2009-04-29T13:42:00.002-05:00

The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO -- an alliance of 13 national and international unions who collectively represent 2.5 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada -- launched a new radio ad in Rep. Gonzalez's district this week.

America’s Building Trades Unions have launched a major new paid media campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to enact a clean energy plan that will make America a global leader in energy, while also developing the domestic energy technologies that will create American jobs and strengthen our economy for years to come.

Click here to listen to the radio ad.

Make our energy clean, make it in America

2009-04-23T11:41:00.002-05:00

President talks clean energy jobs on Earth Day

2009-04-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

President Obama spent Earth Day touring a wind turbine plant in Iowa to highlight how we can create jobs in a new clean energy economy:

"Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy. The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. We can allow climate change to wreak unnatural havoc across the landscape, or we can create jobs working to prevent its worst effects. We can hand over the jobs of the 21st century to our competitors, or we can confront what countries in Europe and Asia have already recognized as both a challenge and an opportunity: The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy.

"America can be that nation. America must be that nation. And while we seek new forms of fuel to power our homes and cars and businesses, we will rely on the same ingenuity -- the same American spirit -- that has always been a part of our American story."

Click here to read the entire speech.

Hearings begin today

2009-04-21T13:39:00.001-05:00

Today the Energy & Commerce Committee in the U.S. House begins hearings on the American Clean Energy & Security Act. The legislation will usher in a new era of clean energy production in the U.S. – creating millions of new clean energy jobs, limiting the pollution that causes global warming and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil.

As a member of Energy & the Environment Subcommittee, Rep. Gonzalez has an opportunity to significantly influence and shape this legislation. Yet greedy corporate polluters are waging an aggressive campaign to weaken the bill and keep America dependent on the failed energy policies of the past – allowing other countries to take advantage of the growing clean energy industries while America’s economy continues to struggle.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236. Tell him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

The potential for new jobs

2009-04-18T16:54:00.000-05:00

President Obama discusses clean energy

2009-04-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

President Obama gave a major economic speech today in which he said that the only way to achieve the full economic potential of new clean energy opportunities is to reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming.

"Now, the third pillar of this new foundation is to harness the renewable energy that can create millions of new jobs and new industries. We all know that the country that harnesses this new energy source will lead the 21st century. Yet we’ve allowed other countries to outpace us on this race to the future.

"I don’t know about you, but I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders. I think it’s time for America to lead again.

"So the investments we made in the Recovery Act will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. And we are putting Americans to work, making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions on our energy bills and grow our economy at the same time.

"Now, the only way, though, that we can truly spark the transformation that’s needed is through a gradual, market-based cap on carbon pollution so that clean energy is a profitable kind of energy."

Energy bill introduced today

2009-03-31T16:17:00.002-05:00

Today Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Ed Markey introduced draft clean energy and global warming legislation. This is an important first step to passing a comprehensive energy bill that will spur a new green energy economy, create jobs and curb global warming pollution.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 recognizes that limiting global warming pollution will bring about a clean energy economy that creates jobs, improves our national security and protects our planet – and as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Gonzalez will play a key role in helping to shape this critical legislation.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236 and urge him to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.

Rep. Gonzalez supports key energy funding

2009-02-25T16:17:00.001-06:00

We applaud Rep. Gonzalez for voting today for the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which includes significant funding increases for energy efficiency and renewable programs in the Department of Energy. These funding increases represent a strong next step in forging a cleaner energy future and helping reduce global warming pollution.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236 to thank him for voting for a bill that provides much needed funding increases to a host of important environmental, conservation, clean water and clean energy programs.

Thanks, again, for your vote

2009-02-13T16:16:00.000-06:00

For the second time, Rep. Gonzalez supported the recovery package – voting for the final conference report. The recovery package offers a tremendous opportunity to increase the production of wind and solar energy, train workers for green jobs, make buildings and homes more energy efficient, modernize the electricity grid and help people purchase more efficient appliances.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236 to thank him for voting for the much needed bill.

Thank you for your vote today

2009-01-28T16:16:00.000-06:00

We applaud Rep. Gonzalez for voting today for the recovery package. The bill makes investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency that will create thousands of new high-paying jobs, save consumers money, improve our national security and protect the planet. It’s exactly what the country needs right now.

Call Rep. Gonzalez at (202) 225-3236 to thank him for voting the right way.