25 Percent Renewable Energy by 2025

25 Percent Renewable Energy by 2025



October 2007

 The House of Representatives 
Tuesday passed a resolution setting a goal to expand renewable energy 
production in the United States. 
The 25 by '25 resolution expresses the sense of the Congress that by the 
year 2025, at least 25 percent of total U.S. energy will come from 
renewable, domestically produced sources. 
Currently, renewable energy sources provide about six percent of the 
United States’ total energy needs. 
The resolution was first introduced in January by House Agriculture 
Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat, and Ranking 
Member Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican. 
"The 25 by '25 Resolution is a statement of our national commitment to 
support the development of renewable energy sources," said Peterson. "I 
believe that we can not only meet but exceed the goal of 25 percent by 
2025, but every journey starts with a first step, and this resolution is a 
very important first step to national energy independence." 
"Increased development of renewable energy opens new markets for our 
nation’s producers, provides consumers with a safe, sustainable, 
environmentally friendly, and renewable source of energy, and decreases 
our nation’s dependency on foreign oil," said Goodlatte. 
"Working to ensure that the benefits of expanded markets for agricultural 
products are available to the entire agriculture sector is a top priority 
for me and I believe in this sector’s ability to provide the market with 
reliable, sustainable renewable energy sources," Goodlatte said. 
The resolution recognizes the important role of agriculture-based energy 
sources, including ethanol and biodiesel, in the growing renewable energy 
industry. It also reinforces the importance of maintaining a safe, 
abundant and affordable domestically produced supply of food, feed and 
fiber as the nation pursues energy independence. 
"Renewable energy production is the driving economic force across rural 
America today and I am pleased that the House of Representatives 
recognized the importance of further growing fuels from the farm," said 
National Farmers Union President Tom Buis. 
"America's producers have been providing a quality food supply for more 
than 200 years and are now helping reduce our nation's dependence on 
foreign oil," he said. 
The National Farmers Union is a member of the 25 x '25 coalition and an 
advocate of increasing the use and production of fuels from the farm. 
The Senate and the House each have passed energy bills, and now Senate and 
House leaders are working to reconcile differences between the two bills. 
The Senate bill would expand and accelerate the Renewable Fuels Standard 
and the House bill would establish a Renewable Electricity Standard which 
would mandate increasing amounts of electricity from renewable sources 
such as wind and biomass. 
The National Farmers Union supports both measures. 
"Passage of a strong energy bill that includes both a robust Renewable 
Fuels Standard and a national Renewable Electricity Standard will go a 
long way toward decreasing our dependence on foreign sources of energy and 
increasing economic opportunities in rural America," Buis said. "I am 
hopeful that Congress will pass such a bill and send it to the president 
yet this year." 

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