Earth Equity News

'Elder Statesmen' Issue Energy Recommendations. By Josef Hebert, AP, July 16, 2008. "A bipartisan group of 27 elder statesmen is sending an open letter to both presidential candidates and every member of Congress saying the country faces 'a long-term energy crisis' that threatens the security and prosperity of future generations if swift action isn't taken. The group includes Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell and six other former secretaries of state or defense, former senators of both parties and a half dozen former senior White House advisers and other Cabinet officers for both Republican and Democratic presidents... The open letter was the idea of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, a group affiliated with the [pro-business] U.S. Chamber of Commerce... [and] includes 13 broad recommendations. They include aggressively promoting energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption, increased commitments to both nuclear energy and renewable energy sources, making coal more environmentally acceptable and moving transportation away from oil as a fuel."