
Energy Innovation Act of 2007
Date: Thursday, January 18, 2007 @ 20:52:31 UTC Topic: Legal
Infinite Energy Magazine, Issue 71, Jan/Feb 2007
The New Energy Movement Introduces Draft Legislation for New Energy Bill to U.S. Congress Joel Garbon, New Energy Movement President
A spirited grassroots nonprofit organization, The New Energy Movement (NEM), has quietly made remarkable progress in its mission to educate the public and policymakers about the need to support emerging new energy technologies. Publicly launched a little more than two years ago at its inaugural international conference in Portland, Oregon, NEM’s dedicated all-volunteer staff has plowed ahead despite little fanfare and only small trickles of funding. A major leap forward was made recently on the heels of meetings with key legislators, culminating in draft legislation for a new energy bill currently titled the “Energy Innovation Act of 2007.” Congressional briefings are underway in Washington, D.C. in support of the historic legislation. This represents an unprecedented opportunity to generate highly-visible and broadly supported federal funding for new and unconventional energy technologies.
The door was opened when in September 2006 U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) asked Dr. Brian O’Leary, co-founder of The New Energy Movement, if the leadership of NEM could provide him with a draft of proposed new energy legislation, emphasizing that this is a matter of urgent Congressional priority. Congressman Kucinich remarked that dozens of his colleagues were prepared to be co-sponsors of a new energy bill, and had intentions of introducing it in the next Congressional session starting in January 2007. He also shortly afterward announced his candidacy for the 2008 Presidential campaign. There is little doubt that NEM’s proposed legislation will be a centerpiece of his campaign, and will catalyze a tremendous jump in the American public’s awareness, enthusiasm, and support for the vital initiatives it contains.
O’Leary contacted Joel Garbon, President of NEM, about the legislative opportunity and plans were quickly put in place for Garbon to travel to O’Leary’s retreat center in Vilcabamba, Ecuador to begin crafting the draft. Garbon committed to composing the detailed legislation over the following six weeks and headed back home to Portland, Oregon to begin the real work. In mid-December, the completed draft was sent to select members of NEM’s Advisory Board and to members of the inventor community who provided valuable counsel in the drafting process. With an enthusiastic thumbs up from the reviewers, the draft was sent on to Congressman Kucinich on Christmas Eve.
Just prior to taking on the legislative project, Garbon had the remarkable opportunity to engage U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington) on the topic of new energy R&D support. In October, he was invited to appear with Senator Cantwell at a campaign press conference to deliver the message of NEM to a large group of her constituents. Cantwell and her staff had worked hard to produce a comprehensive energy bill that she was promoting during her re-election campaign. Garbon had recently favorably influenced one of Cantwell’s regional staff directors to delve into the new energy arena, and the call to speak at the side of the Senator came just a few weeks later. Garbon’s address to the large group of assembled constituents was brief and focused to convey a few key points:
Read the whole article here: Draft Legislation for New Energy Bill
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