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Administrator Johnson, U.S. Postal Service Processing & Distribution Center Delivering Clean Energy Event, San Francisco, CA
02/10/2006
These innovative projects represent a significant investment in our nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security, and I would like to commend both the U.S. Postal Service and Chevron for their leadership and exemplary efforts to save energy and ensure a healthier, cleaner environment for all Americans. I understand these Postal Service facilities are among the largest in California, processing 7.5 million pieces of mail each day. It’s obvious postal facilities this size can make a big impact on mail delivery. They are also proving that facilities this size can make a big impact on the environment. These facilities have an innovative hybrid alternative energy power plant, which combines two solar technologies and hydrogen fuel cell technology. These installed technologies will eliminate the annual discharge of about 6,600 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to planting about 1,800 acres of trees. And at the same time, these innovative technologies will save $1.2 million each year in energy bills. U.S. Postal Service and Chevron are proving that doing what’s good for the environment is also a good use of our energy dollars. We are seeing that innovation in technology is vital for environmental improvements that increase the health and prosperity of the U.S. President Bush and EPA are encouraging the advances in the technology that power our nation’s economy and drive our environmental successes. In his State of the Union Address last week, the President announced a new national investment in energy innovation in order to break America’s dependency on foreign sources of power. His Advanced Energy Initiative includes a national goal of replacing more than 75 percent of our oil imports by the year 2025. The President knows that America is too reliant on foreign energy, and the best way to break this dependency is through innovative technology. Since 2001, under President Bush’s leadership, our nation has funded nearly $10 billion in developing energy sources that are cleaner, cheaper and more reliable. Over the past four years, the Bush Administration has worked to increase domestic energy supplies, encourage efficiency and conservation, and develop alternative and renewable sources of energy. On Monday, the President released his budget request for fiscal year 2007, which included more than $100 million to support this continued effort, including the development and implementation of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard rulemaking. The Renewable Fuel Standard provision in the President’s 2005 Energy Bill is designed to reduce vehicle emissions and strengthen the nation’s energy security by doubling the use of fuels produced from American crops by 2012. This means a lot more homegrown crops like soybeans, sunflower seeds and corn, as well as other material like cellulosic biomass and restaurant grease which would normally be thrown away, will be turned into fuel. The RFS provision requires an escalating amount of renewable fuels to be blended into motor vehicle fuels. So instead of spending our money on imported oil, we can invest in domestic jobs, strengthen our national security, and support American agricultural communities. In addition to the economic impact, expanding the use of renewable fuels can help us provide cleaner air to the next generation of Americans because renewable fuels produce fewer air pollutants. And because of its lower cost, we are again seeing that doing what’s good for the environment, is also good for business. I am proud of EPA’s role in supporting the President’s energy initiative. Our country is on the verge of dramatic change for how we power our cars, our homes, our businesses, and our postal facilities. The President and I both believe that innovation – including innovations in energy efficiency that we are seeing in these facilities today – is the catalyst of this change. These are exciting times for America. President Bush has set big goals for our nation’s energy security, economic well-being and environmental health, and I am confident that we can meet those goals, in part through the innovative spirit of our partners - the U.S. Postal Service and Chevron. President Bush and EPA understand that environmental stewardship and energy conservation go arm-in-arm. So today, I am proud to recognize our partners who are saving on their energy bills and helping reduce the demand on our nation's energy supply -- all while protecting our shared environment for the next generation. Thank you. |
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