U.S. House adopts renewable energy resolution for 2025

In October, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution that calls for 25 percent of the nation’s energy needs to be met by renewable resources by 2025.

The 25x’25 initiative is an energy policy that calls on agricultural, forestry and working land to provide energy from land-based resources such as biomass, biofuels, wind energy, solar power, geothermal energy and hydropower.

The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Senate in June, and has the support of 600 agricultural, forestry, environmental, energy, business, labor, civic and government organizations.

“The 25x’25 resolution is a statement of our national commitment to support the development of renewable energy sources,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson. “I believe that we can not only meet but exceed the goal of 25 percent by 2025, but every journey starts with a first step, and this resolution is a very important first step that we can take to achieving energy independence.”

The 25x’25 action plan lists 35 recommendations that, when implemented, would cost just 5 percent of what America spent on imported oil in 2006, and could create up to 5 million new jobs. The project is expected to pump $700 billion into the economy while significantly reducing oil consumption and global warming emissions, according to the plan’s creators.

The 25x’25 campaign is supported financially by the Energy Future Coalition, a non-partisan public policy initiative funded by foundations.

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For more: Ernie Shea, (410) 952-0123; eshea@25x25.org; www.25x25.org.