August 27, 2008

August 27, 2008

Dear Friends:

Last week, leaders from all over America convened in Las Vegas for the National Clean Energy Summit to chart a course for our nation’s clean energy future.

President Bill Clinton, Governors and Senators, Democrats and Republicans, titans of big business and labor leaders, scientists and innovators of cutting edge technology came together to accelerate the development and deployment of renewable energy, energy-efficiency technologies, and robust clean energy markets in the West, the nation, and the world.

We convened to secure a better world.

Where others have failed, we must succeed – to grow our economy, provide jobs, improve our individual health, protect our national security, and clean our polluted air.

We accept the challenge of creating a clean energy revolution that will transform the American economy. And we are ready to put aside all differences to achieve our goal.

Today, we are asking you to join us.

Once again, America can lead the world in developing new technologies that will result in a robust clean energy economy while protecting our planet.

Already, Americans are rising up to this challenge. We are seeing early ripples of this change in big cities and small towns, on Main Street, Wall Street and across America.

If just 20% of our nation’s power came from renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar power, we would create nearly 200,000 direct jobs and save consumers more than $10 billion in lower bills annually by 2020.

The choice is ours to make. If we abandon the opportunities on our horizon and stick with the status quo, three things are certain: First, the earth’s supply of fossil fuels will continue to dwindle. Second, the price we pay for electricity and gasoline will go nowhere but up. Third, our children and our children’s children will look back at this moment in history and wonder – with all they knew, why didn’t they do more to leave us with a healthy, prosperous and livable planet? If we choose to embrace this challenge, we can remake our world to the benefit of every single person and creature that inhabits it.

The American West is ready and able to lead the way. Since the nation’s founding, the West has been a powerful symbol of opportunity, innovation, and self reliance. At a time when the need to develop clean, renewable energy sources here in the United States has never been more urgent, the West is once again at the frontier of discovery, ready to put aside partisan differences and lead America towards energy independence.

Go to the National Clean Energy Summit website and read about our objectives. Join us in convincing your neighbors, your Governor, your Senators and your Representative. Commit to more efficient energy use wherever you can. Support the development and use of renewable energy technologies. We are counting on you to secure our country’s future and our world.