Principles that will assure a sustainable 25x'25 renewable energy future were released today during the 4th National 25x'25 Summit in Omaha, Nebraska. Issued by the 25x'25 National Steering Committee, the Sustainability Principles underscore the concept of sustainability as the ideal of stewardship. The National Steering Committee is recommending these principles to 25x'25 partners and supports their adoption by renewable energy producers and policy makers.

This new set of guiding, environmental principles cover air quality, biodiversity, biotechnology, efficiency and conservation, greenhouse gas emission, invasive species, private and public lands, soil erosion and quality, water quality and quantity and wildlife. The principles also set economic and social guidelines for access to infrastructure, incentives and market development, access and distribution.

The 25x'25 Action Plan: Charting America's Energy Future, which was authored and presented to Congress in February 2007, outlines specific recommendation to put the United States on a path to secure 25 percent of its energy needs from renewables by the year 2025. The 25x'25 Goal and the Action Plan stand on a foundation of five key principles - efficiency, partnership, commitment, opportunity and sustainability. According to the Action Plan, for renewable energy production to be a long-term solution for America, it must conserve, enhance, and protect natural resources and be economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable.

"Sustainability has always been considered as central to the success of the 25x'25 renewable energy initiative," says Steering Committee Co-Chair Read Smith. "At the heart of the principles is the responsible use and orderly development of natural resources in a way that takes full and balanced account of the interests of society, future generations, and other species. It also means acknowledging private needs, while accepting significant answerability to society."

 In September, 2007, the steering committee chartered a work group representing a cross section of agricultural, forestry, industry, environmental and conservation leaders who were charged with further defining sustainability and developing recommendations for sustainability principles that would help guide the evolution of 25x'25.

Underlying assumptions identified and agreed upon in creating the Sustainability Principles include the belief that renewable energy production must comply with all existing federal, state, and local laws and regulations; all regions will have an opportunity to engage in the production of bioenergy feedstocks and renewable energy; renewable energy production should address the multiple-values of the land-base including environmental, economic, social, and historical; the balance of stakeholder interests must be a central theme in renewable energy production; and that the principles are mutually reinforcing.

Though the assumptions and principles were drawn from the consensus recommendations developed by the work group, they represent the views and position of the 25x'25 National Steering Committee rather than any individual 25x'25 Alliance partner.

The Sustainability Principles are available by Clicking Here. For more information, contact 25x'25 Project Coordinator Ernie Shea at 410-952-0123, or at EShea@25x25.org.