FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Campaign Manager Kim Middendorf
651-699-9707; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; www.camgordon.org
Gordon calls for city energy policy stressing local control, conservation, focus
on renewables
Cam Gordon, Green Party-endorsed Minneapolis City Council candidate for Ward 2,
proposed an energy plan for Minneapolis today that includes a municipal utility,
energy conservation, and assistance for homeowners and landlords to increase the
energy-efficiency of residences and businesses in the city.
"Rather than relying more heavily on polluting fossil-fuel burning and nuclear
power plants, as President Bush proposed for the national energy policy today,
Minneapolis will be much better served by looking to renewable energy sources
such as wind and solar power, as well as increasing our focus on conservation
and making it easier for people to afford energy-efficiency adjustments to their
buildings," Gordon said.
"A community-owned and democratically-managed power utility serving residents of
Minneapolis would increase the control that residents have over decisions about
power generation and distribution that directly affect them," he added. The
focus on renewable sources would make the city more energy-independent. This
could be especially important if Minnesota ever faces an energy crisis like that
of California.
Gordon also stressed that energy conservation and increased attention to
energy-efficiency are essential to a sustainable energy future.
"In a nation that has 5% of the world's population and is using 25% of the
world's energy resources, conservation is clearly called for in public policy at
every level," Gordon said. "In keeping with the Green Party's principles of
ecological wisdom and future focus, as a city council member I would advocate
that energy conservation be central to every issue, from building codes to
transportation to urban design."
In particular, Gordon would work to establish a program of grants and
low-interest loans to encourage landlords, homeowners, and small businesses to
use energy-efficient technologies and building techniques, including retrofits.
Figures from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S.
Department of Energy have shown that these kinds of programs have saved
taxpayers over $40 billion in energy costs nationwide in recent years, making
energy-efficiency and renewables a wise investment in both the economy and in a
sustainable future.
Gordon also proposed that existing programs favoring renewable energy must be
publicized and expanded. One such program, the Minnesota Small Power Producers
Act, requires that giant power producers like Excel Energy Corp. buy energy
produced by small producers such as residents who have solar panels on their
roofs, and feed it back into the grid.
"Residents who install solar panels can not only provide for some of their own
energy needs, but can help offset their investment on bright days when their
panels are generating more power than they need for their home. This is a great
incentive for installing solar panels, but most residents don't know about it,"
Gordon explained.
"Greater energy self-reliance and localized control over our energy production
and usage, together with a public policy focus on conservation and renewable
energy, will be of both short-term and long-term benefit to the residents of
Minneapolis," said Gordon.
"Through these types of programs, we can keep our environment and the air we
breath clean while being prepared for any future energy crisis that comes our
way," he said.
The points in Gordon's energy program reflect the Green Party's values of
ecological wisdom, decentralization, future focus and grassroots democracy.
Cam Gordon can be reached for comment at 612-331-6210 and his views can be read
at www.camgordon.org.
Cam Gordon
Candidate for Minneapolis City Council,
Ward 2
914 Franklin Terrace
Mpls. MN 55406-1101
(612) 332-6210
http://www.camgordon.org
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