I want to share with you several initiatives and events I was involved in this week to further our energy independence and foster the growth of renewable energy technologies.

Efficient Lighting for a Brighter Tomorrow

This past week, I cosponsored Senate Bill 2017, The Energy Efficient Lighting for a Brighter Tomorrow Act, which would mandate a gradual transition from incandescent light bulb technologies to newer, more efficient bulbs that produce the same amount of light with far less energy. If fully implemented, this switch to more efficient lighting technologies will save Americans as much as $6 billion a year in electricity costs, while simultaneously, reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

In particular, energy efficient, ENERGY STAR approved light bulbs:

• Use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer
• Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime
• Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they are safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling

To learn more about ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulbs and how you can use them in your home or business, visit www.energystar.gov.

Collaborating for a Cleaner Future

Earlier this year, when I helped announce the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels program, also known as C2B2, there were eleven private partners, which was a good start. In the wake of the Collaboratory’s inaugural meeting and as the shared research program is about to begin, I am pleased to see that the number of private partners has nearly tripled with many more waiting to join. In the coming years, C2B2’s research will gradually transition us away from oil and gas and toward renewable sources of energy, which is good for Colorado, good for America and good for our economic and environmental future.

The Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007

In the coming months, the Senate and House versions of H.R. 6, the renewable fuels, consumer protection and energy efficiency act of 2007 will go to conference committee, where differences between the two bills will be reconciled among committee members.

Key provisions of H.R. 6 as passed by the U.S. Senate include:

• Increasing the existing renewable fuels standard to 36 billion gallons by 2022
• Establishing appliance standards for consumer and industrial products and promoting high-efficiency vehicles, advanced batteries and energy storage
• Exploring options for how we can store and capture harmful carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change

I am hopeful that the final bill that will be sent to President Bush will contain these important provisions, as well as others I fought hard to include, such as 25 x 25 and CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, which I believe are crucial to our National effort to secure a new, clean energy economy.

I look forward to updating you on this, and other renewable energy related matters in the weeks to come.

Sincerely,

Ken Salazar
United States Senator