Building an American clean energy economy

Make our energy clean, make it in America

President talks clean energy jobs on Earth Day

President Obama spent Earth Day touring a wind turbine plant in Iowa to highlight how we can create jobs in a new clean energy economy:

"Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy. The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. We can allow climate change to wreak unnatural havoc across the landscape, or we can create jobs working to prevent its worst effects. We can hand over the jobs of the 21st century to our competitors, or we can confront what countries in Europe and Asia have already recognized as both a challenge and an opportunity: The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy.

"America can be that nation. America must be that nation. And while we seek new forms of fuel to power our homes and cars and businesses, we will rely on the same ingenuity -- the same American spirit -- that has always been a part of our American story."

Click here to read the entire speech.

Hearings begin today

Today the Energy & Commerce Committee in the U.S. House begins hearings on the American Clean Energy & Security Act. The legislation will usher in a new era of clean energy production in the U.S. – creating millions of new clean energy jobs, limiting the pollution that causes global warming and reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil.

As a member of Energy & the Environment Subcommittee, Rep. Upton has an opportunity to significantly influence and shape this legislation. Yet greedy corporate polluters are waging an aggressive campaign to weaken the bill and keep America dependent on the failed energy policies of the past – allowing other countries to take advantage of the growing clean energy industries while America’s economy continues to struggle.

Click here to e-mail Rep. Upton. Tell him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

Making America a global leader

In an editorial in today’s issue of the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, Rep. Upton repeated his misguided criticism of legislation to create millions of clean energy jobs and reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming – once again referring to such efforts as a “cap-and-tax scheme.”

Consider: It takes 250 tons of steel and 6,000 parts to build a wind turbine, yet the U.S. currently imports the majority of our wind power equipment from other countries. Michigan is losing thousands of jobs while the clean energy technologies of the future are manufactured overseas.

We can put America back to work by becoming a global leader in the new clean energy economy. But construction can’t begin until Congress acts.

Call Rep. Upton at (202) 225-3761 and ask him to support the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

The potential for new jobs

President Obama discusses clean energy

President Obama gave a major economic speech today in which he said that the only way to achieve the full economic potential of new clean energy opportunities is to reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming.

"Now, the third pillar of this new foundation is to harness the renewable energy that can create millions of new jobs and new industries. We all know that the country that harnesses this new energy source will lead the 21st century. Yet we’ve allowed other countries to outpace us on this race to the future.

"I don’t know about you, but I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders. I think it’s time for America to lead again.

"So the investments we made in the Recovery Act will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. And we are putting Americans to work, making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions on our energy bills and grow our economy at the same time.

"Now, the only way, though, that we can truly spark the transformation that’s needed is through a gradual, market-based cap on carbon pollution so that clean energy is a profitable kind of energy."

Checking back in

Recently we commented on Rep. Upton’s “cap and tax scheme” press release that linked to a “page not found.” We checked back today and it seems the link is now working. Unfortunately, now that we can see Rep. Upton’s full statement, it’s clear that the congressman has got it all wrong. He said:

"By design, a cap and tax can only hurt the economy while providing a questionable environmental benefit."

The fact is, if we reduce the carbon pollution that causes global warming and shift U.S. energy production toward cleaner, cheaper sources like the wind and the sun, we will create the industries of tomorrow and millions of new clean energy jobs. Additionally, it will dramatically reduce our dependence on oil.

The time is now for Congress to pass a comprehensive clean energy plan.

Misreading the draft energy bill

We’re disappointed in recent remarks by Rep. Upton regarding the Waxman-Markey draft legislation. Instead up supporting a bill to create jobs, Rep. Upton said,

“It stands for 'cap the growth, trade the jobs.' That's not the answer.”

Call the Rep. Fred Upton at (202) 225-3761 to ask him to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 that will provide much needed funding increases to a host of important environmental, conservation, clean water and clean energy programs.

Maybe he had a change of heart?

We noticed today that in the news section of Rep. Upton website’s there is what appears to be a link to a press release labeled “Cap and Tax Scheme will Cost Jobs, Harm the Economy.” But when you click on the link the page that appears says:

The requested page could not be found

Let’s hope that Rep. Upton recognized that the truth is that increasing the use of renewable energy sources and reducing global warming pollution can help jump-start the economy by spurring growth in clean energy industries and creating new green jobs.