Jerry McNerney's website

Roll Call publishes McNerney article on Energy

I have exciting news!  Roll Call, a premier Capitol Hill newspaper, recently published a piece written by our Congressman Jerry McNerney.  The subject?  Need you ask?  His expertise - renewable energy!

 

Click here to read the full text.

 

Recognizing our Congressman's 20+ years of experience in renewable energy, they asked for his thoughts on the direction of our country's energy policy.  Here's an excerpt from the article:

Northern California establishing itself as global leader in renewable energies

I spent over 20 years working with wind and other forms of renewable energy and I know the great potential that clean energy offers to help improve our environment and our economy.  That’s why I was so glad to be at the dedication last Friday of the brand new solar farm at the South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s DeGroot Water Treatment Plant.  The solar installation will power the water treatment plant, which helps provide drinking water to Manteca, Tracy and Lathrop.

McNerney Urges Attorney General Brown to Investigate Potential Gas Price Inaccuracies

As Californians were fueling up their cars and trucks in preparation for travel during the long Independence Day weekend, I sent a letter to California Attorney General Jerry Brown calling for an investigation into potential inaccuracies at gas stations across the Golden State. This letter came after the revelation that a similar investigation conducted by the New Jersey Attorney General found problems and discrepancies at fueling stations in that state.

The report identified stations across New Jersey that charged consumers different prices than those advertised, short-changed consumers by not keeping their gas pumps in proper working order resulting in consumers being charged for a full gallon when often they received less, and failed to provide correct octane ratings.

My concern is that this is not a problem in just one state and that consumers in California may face some of the same inaccuracies and discrepancies at the pump as New Jersyans.

With gas prices here in Northern California some of the most expensive in the nation, consumers should have every confidence that they're paying for what they get at the pump.

I urge Attorney General Brown to immediately begin an investigation of our state's fueling stations to ensure that gas pumps are accurate and dispense the correct volume of gas. As consumers are squeezed by paying record gas prices, Californians at least deserve to get what they pay for at the pump.

UPDATE:

Lisa Vorderbruggen blogs about Jerry's request for a gas price investigation.  Check it out here.

20 percent by 2020? McNerney supports new renewable portfolio standard

As Brandon English at the Stakeholder -- the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's blog -- highlights, Jerry McNerney is among the Congressional members receiving praise for their endorsement of new clean energy legislation:

The Union of Concerned Scientists today praised the introduction of a House bill that would gradually require utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, by 2020. The renewable portfolio standard (RPS) bill, introduced by Reps. Tom Udall (D-NM), Todd Platts (R-PA), Mark Udall (D-CO), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chris Shays (R-CT), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Jerry McNerney (D-CA) would create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, save consumers money and promote economic development in our rural communities, according to a UCS analysis of the bill.

"A renewable portfolio standard should be passed this Congress," said Alan Nogee, UCS Clean Energy Program Director. "The bill gives the American people what they asked for in the election -- a smart, cost-effective strategy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and get America on a track toward energy independence. And because power plants are a primary source of heat-trapping emissions, this bill can be an important part of solving global warming."

To read more about H.R. 969, including estimates of how this type of legislation might energize America with new jobs, energy bill savings, new revenue streams, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, check out the Kansas City InfoZine.