Dear Senators,
Please do not put your seal of approval on this energy bill. I understand that there is a lot of pressure right now to make certain our energy needs are provided for, but this bill doesn't fulfill those needs.
What it does do is provide sweetheart deals to energy corporations who made large campaign contributions over the last few years. I'm not interested in cutting those businesses a break. What I am interested in is sustainable and clean energy provided right here at home. Maine has already shown how this can be done by giving the go-ahead to the Mars Hill Windfarm.
Many Native tribes in the western part of the nation are willing and in many cases already able to provide this nation with a tremendous amount of energy via wind famrs and solar collectors. What an excellent solution this would be to our troubles! We could enable the tribes to provide for themselves financially without having to resort ot running casinos. In return, they provide us with energy that won't ever run out, won't pollute our land, air or water, and won't send millions of dollars to the Middle East where it could easily be redirected into the hands of terrorists. It is bad enough there are people in this world who want to see harm come to our nation. Do we really have to help fund them in their efforts??
Please read the following article excerpts. I feel they shed much light on the situation concerning our energy crisis.
"the Great Plains — the Saudi Arabia of Wind Power — has potential that is only beginning to be tapped. Twenty-three Indian tribes have more than 300 gigawatts of wind generating potential. There is also ethanol to be developed here. That represents more than half of present U.S. installed electrical capacity. Those tribes live in some of the poorest counties in the country, and yet they are putting up wind turbines that could power America — if they had more contracts and access to power lines. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe's 750-kilowatt wind turbine is the first commercial turbine, with 30-megawatt projects planned on other reservations in the region. As well, White Earth, Leech Lake, Red Lake, Fond du Lac and Grand Portage reservations all just received Energy Department grants to look at wind and other renewable energy for this region.
Renewable energy makes economic sense. The Apollo Project points out that America has lost 2.7 million high-paying manufacturing jobs since 2000. Investing in alternative energy is investing in jobs. The European Union estimates 2.77 jobs in wind for every megawatt produced, 7.24 jobs/megawatt in solar, and 5.67 jobs/megawatt in geothermal. We can either create jobs and economic stability in many rural areas, or we can continue to line the pockets of CEOs."
--Winona LaDuke
more here:
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0930-10.htm"WASHINGTON (AP) - Energy industries that have invested millions of dollars in lawmakers' campaigns would reap billions in tax breaks and potential new business from compromise Republican legislation.
President Bush took office promising to develop a new energy policy. Since then, energy-related businesses have contributed nearly $70 million to lawmakers and political parties, with about three-fourths of it going to Republicans, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission records by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The energy sector also gave an additional $67 million - $50 million of it to Republicans - during the 2000 election cycle, when Bush won the presidency and Republicans regained control of the Senate."
More here:
http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20031116/D7URS6L80.html 
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