Letter to Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission - Huffman, Merkley Team Up With European Parliament to Urge Global Clean Energy Transition

Letter

Dear President Biden and President von der Leyen:

Thank you for your leadership during this incredibly challenging time. We are writing today to respond to your recent Joint Energy Security Statement, establishing the joint Task Force for Energy Security. We applaud your efforts to respond to the crisis in Ukraine, end the import of Russian oil and gas, and accelerate the global transition to clean energy. We agree that the energy security and sustainability of the European Union and Ukraine are essential for peace, freedom, and democracy in Europe. Existing fossil fuel infrastructure as well as projects being constructed, or soon to be, are already more than enough to match the necessary amount of demand if renewable energy technologies are deployed as aggressively.

It is essential that the Task Force for Energy Security develops a plan that ensures no new financing, exploration licenses, or permits for coal, oil or gas extraction, exports, imports, and infrastructure. While the Joint Statement included specific details for natural gas, it did not contain such specificity for developing clean, renewable energy. The Task Force must develop a plan to swiftly move the European Union and United States off fossil fuels and onto clean, renewable energy by 2035. It is critically important that our countries not lock ourselves into decades of further reliance on fossil fuels when climate science, environmental justice, and public health concerns necessitate a rapid transition towards full renewable energy.

Liquified natural gas (LNG) infrastructure can take at least three years to build, thus failing to address Europe's short-term energy needs to transition off Russian gas. Building new fossil fuel infrastructure diverts resources from the investments we need to address the climate crisis and ensure the energy security from energy efficiency and renewable sources. Recent analysis shows that the European Union can replace two thirds of Russian gas by 2025 through energy efficiency and renewable energy, before any new LNG infrastructure could come online. Instead of focusing on LNG expansion, the Task Force should focus on the clean energy strategies outlined in the Joint Statement, such as ramping up heat pump deployment and installations, scaling procurement for clean energy equipment, and accelerating clean energy workforce deployment.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the window to secure a livable future is rapidly closing. Further expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in the United States and Europe is destined to set us back during a moment when we should be doing everything within our power to avert climate catastrophe. Such expansion will put both the United States and the European Union on the wrong path to meet our respective Paris Agreement goals, as outlined in the Joint Statement. Continued build out of fossil fuel infrastructure will also build on the already dangerous impacts faced by our frontline and fenceline communities. Hydraulic fracturing wells and LNG infrastructure poison our environment and the air and water that these communities rely on.

The European Union and United States must prioritize investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electrification, which are critical to transitioning off fossil fuels and will allow us to move past the boom-and-bust cycles inherent in fossil fuel energy. Additionally, we must end financing, exploration, and permits for new fossil fuels infrastructure. This is the pathway to true energy independence and climate security. We look forward to your plan to ensure a clean energy transition and a rapid transition off fossil fuels.

Sincerely,