Standing Up for A Sustainable Energy Future

Ensuring More Electricity is Generated from Renewable Sources: Senator Feingold has been a leader in fighting for aggressive national renewable portfolio standards for utilities. He strongly supports legislation requiring utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020 (S.517, vote 50, 2002). He also supports increased financial penalties for utilities that do not meet these standards (S.517, vote 83, 2002).

Senator Feingold cosponsored S.Res.311 which urges support for measures to increase the use of renewable sources of energy worldwide. He is also an original cosponsor of S.Res.263 which urges Congress to appropriate sufficient funds to increase the use of biofuels and other renewable resources.

Senator Feingold has consistently supported increased appropriations for federal renewable energy programs. He believes these historically underfunded and modest programs can receive the money they need when Congress sets better federal priorities. Senator Feingold cosponsored an amendment that would have transferred funds designated for research on atomic weapons within the Department of Energy to renewable energy research (H.R.4506, vote 176, 1994). He supported another amendment to increase funds for renewable energy research by limiting the travel budget for Department of Energy contractors (H.R. 2605, vote 171, 1999).

Encouraging Energy Efficiency: Senator Feingold has worked with Senator Kohl on legislation known as the Federal Energy Bank Act (S. 1395 in 1997 and S. 95 in 2001) to help federal agencies fund the installation of energy efficient lights and appliances in federal buildings. The Kohl-Feingold legislation saves taxpayers from having to pay the cost of high agency utility bills. It was included in the Senate-passed version of the Energy bill in the 107th (S. 517) and 108th Congresses (H.R. 6, as amended).

Senator Feingold has also supported legislation to create a $20 million per year demonstration grant program through USDA-Rural Development to provide funds to communities for the upgrade of local electric transmission and distribution systems. It was included in the Senate-passed version of the Energy bill in the 107th (S. 517) and 108th Congresses (H.R. 6, as amended). Communities can use these grants to ensure that existing power lines make use of more modern wiring technology that moves electricity efficiently, prevents the loss of power, and reduces the need for new transmission lines.

Reducing Access to Environmentally-Sensitive Lands for Fossil Fuel Development: Senator Feingold has been a leader in the effort to prevent harmful oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). He is an original cosponsor of the (Arctic Refuge Wilderness Act 2003, S.543) which aims to protect this pristine taxpayer-owned landscape from any future attempts at oil development.

In July 2001, Senator Feingold joined with Senator Stabenow (D-MI) to place a two-year moratorium on oil drilling in the Great Lakes while the federal government studies the effect of Great Lakes oil drilling on the environment and regional drinking water supplies. This moratorium has been extended by Congress until 2005.

Promoting Renewable Fuels and Technologies in our Transportation Sector: Senator Feingold supported an amendment to require that at least thirty percent of the reformulated gasoline sold nationwide to help communities comply with the Clean Air Act contain ethanol (H.R.4624, vote 255, 1994).

Senator Feingold supports the use of ethanol in reformulated gasoline as a viable alternative to the use of MTBE, which is classified as a possible human carcinogen and causes water to take on the taste and smell of turpentine, rendering it undrinkable (S.1233, vote 258, 1999). He believes MTBE should be banned nationwide and strongly opposes letting oil companies off the hook when local governments and landowners with MTBE in their drinking water seek clean-up funds in federal courts.

Senator Feingold has voted to require the Energy Department to support production of 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010 and 2.5 million hydrogen-fueled fuel cell vehicles by 2020, and develop fueling stations for those vehicles (H.R. 6, vote 212, 2003).

Senator Feingold has also voted repeatedly to create a nationwide standard for the use of renewable motor fuels. He has supported legislation to triple the use of ethanol and other renewable motor fuels over the next decade. (S.517, vote 88, 2002).

Supporting Clean Air and Locally Generated Power: Senator Feingold believes that improvement of air quality is a regional and national issue and requires Congressional attention. He was the first Midwestern Senator to cosponsor S.366, the Clean Power Act, which sets strict new emissions standards for power plants. It would also regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant for the first time under federal law, and provide an incentive for the development of less carbon dioxide producing energy sources like wind and solar power.

During Senate consideration of national energy legislation, Senator Feingold fought electricity deregulation provisions that have the potential to spur large utility mergers, increase energy costs, and allow utility holding companies to compete against local businesses in energy efficiency projects.

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