Op-Ed: The Energy Bill Is A Win For Staten Island And Brooklyn Families
I supported the bipartisan American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act of 2009 because this bill is a regional victory, supported by four Republican Congressmen from New Jersey and New York.
It is not a tax. It will not raise the deficit. Contrary to the critics, it will not cost American households $3,000 a year. It will not require an energy audit of your home, and it will not bring any new burdens to anyone trying to sell their current or buy a new home. In fact, for the average Staten Island or Brooklyn family, the Natural Resources Defense Council predicts this bill will save $5.58 a month in electricity costs and $8 a month in gas costs, making paychecks stretch further.
Nothing affects our national security more than our energy security. ACES will help wean Americans off foreign oil, reducing costs for Staten Island and Brooklyn families and, more importantly, saving American lives from fighting wars for energy in the Middle East. Instead of transferring money from our wallets to Mid-East dictators, ACES means we will keep money at home in our country - creating green jobs, developing new technology, growing new bio-fuels and producing new energy through wind, solar, nuclear and clean coal.
ACES is a winner for Staten Island and Brooklyn families.