Béla Lipták had sent U.S. representatives his discussion paper on the world’s energy future, prepared for presidential candidates, along with the solar-hydrogen materials from his India lecture tour. The following is Congressman Christopher Shays’s reply.

Dear Bela:

Thank you for contacting me to urge support for a strong energy bill that would increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard for vehicles, create a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for energy companies, expand investment in alternative energy sources, and repeal tax incentives for oil companies.

Protecting our environment and promoting energy independence are two of the most important jobs I have as a Member of Congress. We simply will not have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways.

For this reason, I voted for the Senate-amended version of H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act, which passed the House on December 18, 2007 and was signed into law on December 19. In its final version, this bill increased the combined CAFE standard for cars and light trucks to 35 mpg by 2020 — the first increase since 1975 — created a renewable fuel standard mandating at least 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels annually by 2022, and set new efficiency standards for appliances and light bulbs.

Although I am pleased to see legislation that finally recognizes our need to conserve energy and invest in renewable sources, I am disappointed H.R. 6 did not do more. Previous versions would have established a national RPS requiring 15 percent renewable electricity by 2020, and repealed roughly $12 billion in oil and gas subsidies, redirecting the revenue to a renewable and efficiency trust fund — provisions not retained in the final bill.

I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 969, requiring electric utilities to reach 20 percent wind, solar and other renewables by 2025. Currently renewable sources account for only two percent of our nation’s electricity supply.

On April 19, 2007, I reintroduced H.R. 1945, the Energy For Our Future Act, with three goals: improving vehicle fuel efficiency (CAFE to 40 mpg by 2016), incentivizing renewable energy and efficiency (including a 20 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2020, and extending the 30 percent solar/photovoltaic/fuel-cell tax credit through 2012), and repealing tax breaks for already-profitable energy industries.

The bottom line is we are on a demand course that is simply unsustainable if we do not take control of our over-consumption. We need to deal with climate change with concerted action, bipartisan dialogue, regional cooperation, and an alliance between industry and environmentalists.

Sincerely,
Christopher Shays
Member of Congress

Source: Magyar Lobbi, March 1, 2008. See also the Hungarian-language summary on “Szoláris Hidrogén Kísérleti Üzem: Lipták Béla Találmánya.”