Energy reform stalled in Senate

Energy reform stalled in Senate

This summer, the Senate was expected to debate a comprehensive plan to make a transition to clean energy — and begin ending America’s dependence on fossil fuels. Unfortunately, the Senate has let us down. With funding from oil and coal interests, a minority of senators obstructed and delayed progress until Congress ran out of time.

It’s never been more urgent for us to adopt a clean energy plan. After the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, we can no longer continue to rely on dirty fuels like oil. If we invest in clean renewable technologies all over America, we can also rebuild our economy and create millions of jobs, including the Youngstown-Warren area in Ohio.

It’s simply wrong that senators in the pocket of dirty energy companies have delayed our clean energy future. Oil and gas companies spent over $200 million in lobbying in this Congress alone. Our leaders in Washington need to act in the interest of everyday Americans like me — not the interests of a few corporate lobbyists.

As a grandmother, I am especially conscious of the fact that we are doing irreparable harm to the earth, leaving our descendants in a more vulnerable state. It is our responsibility to guarantee that future generations have a world that they can prosper in and from which they can reap the benefits of its natural resources, which not only protects our environment, but will provide jobs through a clean energy economy.

Our elected leaders, Sen. Sherrod Brown and Sen. George Voinovich, must now take every opportunity to support clean energy policies. They should steadfastly resist any attempts to weaken the environmental laws we already have.

Our leaders need to support a clean energy economy without any further delay.

Mary K. Conway, Austintown