In the past, America has been stirred to action when faced with new threats to our national security, or new competitive conditions that undercut our economic leadership. The energy threat we face today may be less immediate than threats from dictators, but it is as real and as dangerous. The dangers are eclipsed only by the opportunities that would come with change.

We know that the jobs of the 21st century will be created in developing new energy solutions. The question is whether these jobs will be created in America, or abroad. We should use government procurement policies to incentivize domestic production of clean and renewable energy.

For the sake of our security -- and for every American family that is paying the price at the pump -- we will break our addiction to foreign oil. We Democrats commit to fast-track investment of billions of dollars over the next ten years to establish a green energy sector that will create up to five million jobs. This transition to a clean-energy industry will also benefit low-income communities: we'll create an energy-focused youth job program to give disadvantaged youth job skills for this emerging industry.

We'll dramatically increase the fuel efficiency of automobiles, and we'll help auto manufacturers and parts suppliers convert to build the cars and trucks of the future and their 18 key components in the United States. And we will help workers learn the skills they need to compete in the green economy. We are committed to getting at least 25 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

To lower the price of gasoline, we will crack down on speculators who are driving up prices beyond the natural market rate. We will direct the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to vigorously investigate and prosecute market manipulation in oil futures. And we will help those who are hit hardest by high energy prices by increasing funding for low-income heating assistance and weatherization programs, and by providing energy assistance to help middle-class families make ends meet in this time of inflated energy prices.

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President Obama Talks Recovery and Rebuild in Wakarusa, IN

August 5, 2009

President Obama traveled to Wakarusa, IN (in Elkhart County) today to announce 48 new battery and electricity projects that will receive $2.4 billion in funding through the American Recovery Act. These 48 projects - selected through a highly competitive process by the Department of Energy - will help to establish America as a leader in the development of the next generation of advanced vehicles, while decreasing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing dangerous climate change-causing green house gas emissions. According to the White House press office this is the single largest investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric vehicles ever made. From their release:

Industry officials expect that this $2.4 billion investment, coupled with another $2.4 billion in cost share from the award winners, will result directly in the creation tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. battery and auto industries.

- $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce batteries and their components and to expand battery recycling capacity

- $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce electric drive components for vehicles, including electric motors, power electronics, and other drive train components

- $400 million in grants to purchase thousands of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles for test demonstrations in several dozen locations; to deploy them and evaluate their performance; to install electric charging infrastructure; and to provide education and workforce training to support the transition to advanced electric transportation systems.

And here’s an excerpt from President Obama’s remarks:

“For as the world grows more competitive, we can't afford to run the race at half-strength or half-speed. If we hope to lead this century like we did the last century, we have to create the conditions and the opportunities for places like Elkhart to succeed. We have to harness the potential –- the innovative and creative spirit –- that's waiting to be awakened all across America.

“See, I don't want to just reduce our dependence on foreign oil and then end up being dependent on their foreign innovations. I don't want to have to import a hybrid car -- I want to be able to build a hybrid car here. I don't want to have to import a hybrid truck -- I want to build a hybrid truck here. I don't want to have to import a windmill from someplace else -- I want to build a windmill right here in Indiana. I want the cars of the future and the technologies that power them to be developed and deployed right here, in America.

“And that's just the beginning. In no area will innovation be more important than in the development of new ways to produce, use, and save energy. So we're not only doubling our capacity to generate renewable energy and building a stronger and smarter electric grid. We've helped reach an agreement to raise fuel economy standards. And for the first time in history, we passed a bill to create a system of clean energy incentives which will help make renewable energy the profitable kind of energy in America -– while helping to end our dependence on foreign oil and protect our planet for future generations.

“The bill passed the House; we're now working to pass legislation through the Senate. Because we know that real innovation depends not on government, but on the generative potential of the American people. If the American people get a clear set of rules, if they know what's needed, what challenges we've got to meet, they'll figure out how to do it…”

Sarah Palin's Flip-Flop on Cap-and-Trade

July 20, 2009

Since Sarah Palin announced that she’d be resigning her post as Alaska’s governor (16 month early) a couple of weeks ago, she’s made it clear that she plans to spend more time traveling around the lower 48 states. True to task, on Tuesday Palin had an oped in the Washington Post articulating her opposition to President Obama’s energy plan which includes a cap-and-trade program that would allow industrial sources to buy and sell pollution permits.

But it looks like she’s a little unclear on what her policy positions are. During the campaign, Palin-McCain campaign literature (check it out below) and the candidate herself sang a totally different tune.

McCain-Palin said climate change was one of our biggest challenges:

NOW: She doesn’t even mention climate change her piece in the Post.

McCain-Palin proposed a market based cap-and-trade program to address climate change:

THEN: “They [McCain-Palin] have proposed a cap-and-trade system that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions while encouraging the development of low-cost compliance options. A climate cap-and-trade mechanism would set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions and allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit, similar to the successful acid rain trading program of the early 1990s. The key feature of this mechanism is that it allows the market to decide and encourage the lowest-cost compliance options.”

NOW: Palin wants to “…responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil” and drill in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

McCain-Palin said a market-based system would strengthen our economy:

NOW: Palin claims, cap-and-trade (which is part of President Obama’s plan) “…is an enormous threat to our economy. It would undermine our recovery over the short term and would inflict permanent damage.”

Palin has been spending more time in the lower 48. Maybe she's been taking lessons from Mitt Romney?

American Clean Energy and Security Act Goes to Full House Vote Tomorrow

June 25, 2009

As we’ve been talking about all week, the House is expected to vote tomorrow on the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

President Obama made another strong statement in the Rose Garden today, urging Democrats and Republicans alike to seize the opportunity to create a new clean energy economy and come together to support the bill. Governor Tim Kaine also released a statement this morning (posted earlier by Jonah), and this afternoon, OFA launched a web page urging people to call their members of Congress before tomorrow’s vote to ask them to support the legislation. Have you told your representative where you stand?

According to a Washington Post/ABC poll released this morning, three-quarters of Americans think the federal government should regulate the release of climate-change causing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, cars and factories.

Meanwhile, House Republicans led by John Boehner (OH) and Mike Pence (IN) have resorted to scare tactics and false information in an attempt to stop ACES from passing. The “Party of No” is denying science, delaying progress and siding with the oil and coal lobby, instead of acting in the best interests of the American people.

UPDATE (by Cloe): Here's an excerpt of the President's remarks from the Rose Garden:

"The list goes on and on, but the point is this: This legislation will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy. That will lead to the creation of new businesses and entire new industries. And that will lead to American jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced.

"...I can't stress enough the importance of this vote. I know this is going to be a close vote, in part because of the misinformation that's out there that suggests there's somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and our economic growth. But my call to those members of Congress who are still on the fence, as well as to the American people, is this: We cannot be afraid of the future, and we can't be prisoners of the past. We've been talking about this issue for decades, and now is the time to finally act."

Our Clean Energy Economy

June 25, 2009

With a full House vote expected this week on the American Clean Energy and Security Act (or Waxman-Markey), all eyes turn to the nation’s energy policy. President Obama is committed to an energy plan that will generate millions of new jobs, break our dependence on foreign oil, reduce the threat of dangerous carbon pollution and restore America’s role as a global leader in the clean energy industry.

As part of “Energy Week”, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis were at events in Michigan, Tennessee and Arkansas today highlighting the President’s commitment to passing comprehensive energy and climate legislation. Earlier this week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson were in New Jersey, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Yesterday, the White House released a new web video featuring Van Jones, the Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The video demonstrates how weatherizing homes will be a major source of new jobs. Watch it below, and be sure to watch for the House vote on Friday.

Clean Energy, Green Jobs and Climate

June 23, 2009

The Obama Administration is dispatching cabinet secretaries and senior officials around the country this week to highlight the need for comprehensive energy legislation that makes us more energy independent, reduces climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions and creates millions of green jobs.

The bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (also known as Waxman-Markey), was passed out of committee a couple of weeks ago – it could be voted on in the full House as early as this week.

In the lead up to the vote a diverse coalition of stakeholders have ramped up their efforts to build support for the bill. Late last week, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the Center for American Progress (CAP), Green for All and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released two reports that outline how investments in a clean-energy economy will produce significant economic and job creation benefits.

-- The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy: How the Economic Stimulus Program and New Legislation Can Boost U.S. Economic Growth and Employment: Report explains how the investment of $150 billion annually, through public spending and private investment, would produce a net gain of 1.7 million new jobs. CAP compiled state-by-state fact sheets of clean energy jobs creation.

-- Green Prosperity: How Clean-Energy Policies Can Fight Poverty and Raise Living Standards in the United States: Report shows that shifting from traditional fossil fuel to clean energy will improve the standard of living for millions of Americans across all skill and education levels, especially among lower-income families.

In Case You Missed It: Last week, the White House also released a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) about the potential impact of climate change in the United States. The report lays out – in layman’s terms – how failure to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will result in significant changes to temperatures, rainfall patterns and sea level. Grist.org had a good round up.

Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

March 21, 2009

Nancy Sutley the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced the appointment of Van Jones. Jones will serve as Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at CEQ.

"Van Jones has been a strong voice for green jobs and we look forward to having him work with departments and agencies to advance the President’s agenda of creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources. Jones will also help to shape and advance the Administration’s energy and climate initiatives with a specific interest in improvements and opportunities for vulnerable communities," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Jones is the founder of Green For All, a national organization that promotes an inclusive green economy, strong enough to lift people out of poverty. He is also the co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Color of Change, two highly innovative social justice organizations. A 1993 Yale Law School graduate, Jones is the author of the 2008 New York Times best-seller, The Green Collar Economy.

House Passes the President's Economic Stimulus Package

February 13, 2009

President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package cleared the House on a 246-183 vote. Republicans, however, continued their "Just Say No" campaign. House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Martinez, Calif.) spoke about the Republican strategy on the House floor.

President Obama in Fort Myers, Florida

February 10, 2009

President Obama is speaking in Fort Myers, Florida about the economic stimulus and getting our economy back on track. Full remarks are below:

I want to start by thanking your governor, Charlie Crist, for joining us today. Governors understand our economic crisis as well as anyone; they’re on the front lines dealing with it every day. And Governor Crist shares my conviction that creating jobs and turning this economy around is a mission that transcends party. When the town is burning, we don’t check party labels. Everyone needs to grab a hose!

Governor Crist and governors across the country understand that. Mayors across the country understand that. And I think you understand that, too. Which is what I want to talk about today.

Last night, I addressed the nation to explain why I believe we need to put the economic recovery plan that is before Congress in motion as soon as possible. But during the day, I spent some time out in Indiana talking to folks. And today, I wanted to come to Florida and visit you all in Fort Myers.

You see, too often the debate in Washington tends to take the measure of our challenges in numbers and statistics. But when we say we’ve lost 3.6 million jobs since this recession began – nearly 600,000 in the past month alone; when we say that Lee County has seen its unemployment rate go from 3.5 percent to nearly 10 percent in less than two years; when we talk about the plummeting home prices and soaring foreclosure rates that have plagued this area, and layoffs at companies like Kraft Construction and Chico’s – companies that have sustained this community for years – well, we’re not just talking about faceless numbers. We’re talking about families you probably know.

We’re talking about people like Steve Adkins, who has joined us today with his wife Michelle, and their son Bailey and daughter Josie. Steve’s the president of a small construction company in Fort Myers that specializes in building and repairing schools, but work has slowed considerably. He’s done what he can to reduce overhead costs, but he’s still been forced to lay off half his workforce. And he and Michelle have made sacrifices of their own – they sold their home and moved into a smaller one.

That is what this debate is about. Folks in Fort Myers and all across the country who have lost their livelihood and don’t know what will take its place. Parents who’ve lost their health care and lie awake at night praying their kids don’t get sick. Families who’ve lost the home that was the foundation of their American dream. Young people who put that college acceptance letter back in the envelope because they just can’t afford it.

That’s what those numbers and statistics mean. That is the true measure of this economic crisis. Those are the stories I heard every time I came here to Florida and that I have carried with me to the White House.

I promised you back then that if elected President, I would do everything I could to help our communities recover. That’s why I’ve come back today – to tell you how I intend to keep that promise.

The situation we face could not be more serious. We have inherited an economic crisis as deep and as dire as any since the Great Depression. Economists from across the spectrum have warned that if we don’t act immediately, millions more jobs will disappear, and national unemployment rates will approach double digits. More people will lose their homes and their health care. And our nation will sink into a crisis that, at some point, will be much tougher to reverse.

So we simply can’t afford to wait and see and hope for the best. We can’t afford to posture and bicker and resort to the same failed ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. After all, that’s what this election was about. You rejected those ideas because you know they haven’t worked. You didn’t send us to Washington because you were hoping for more of the same, you sent us there to change things, and that is exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States.

Now, the problems that led us into this crisis are deep, and they are widespread. We need to stabilize and repair our financial system. We need to get credit flowing again to families and businesses. We need to stem the spread of foreclosures that are sweeping this country. My Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, outlined a plan to address these challenges this morning.

We know that in order to address our economic crisis, we must address our foreclosure crisis. I know Fort Myers had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation last year. I know entire neighborhoods are studded with foreclosure signs, and families across this city feel like they’re losing their foothold in the American Dream. So we are going to do everything we can to help responsible homeowners here in Fort Myers and other hard-hit communities stay in their homes.

If we want to fully turn this crisis around, the starting point is to get people back to work right now.

Last week, we saw 1,000 men and women stand in line for only 35 Miami firefighter jobs. It’s a story repeated across the country – there’s so much demand for jobs that just aren’t there. That is both the paradox and the promise of this moment: at a time when so many Americans are looking for work, there is so much work America needs done.

That is why I put forth a recovery and reinvestment plan, and that is the simple idea at its core. It’s a plan that will save or create up to four million jobs over the next two years, ignite spending by business and consumers alike, and make the investments necessary for lasting economic growth and prosperity.

We’ll begin by ensuring that Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own can receive greater unemployment benefits and continue their health care coverage. That means an additional $100 per month to more than 760,000 Florida workers who have lost their jobs in this recession, and extended unemployment benefits for another 170,000 folks who’ve been laid off and can’t find work.

That is not only our moral responsibility – to lend a helping hand to our fellow Americans in times of emergency – but it also makes good economic sense. If you don’t have money, you can’t spend it. And if you don’t spend it, our economy will continue to decline.

For that same reason, the plan includes $1,000 of badly-needed tax relief for middle class workers and families, putting money back in the pockets of nearly 6.9 million workers and their families here in Florida. And we’ll also provide a partially refundable $2,500 per-student tax credit to help 195,000 Florida families send their kids to college, relieving your household budgets in the short run, and rewarding America in the long run.

Most importantly, this plan will put people to work right now by making direct investments in areas like health care, energy, education, and infrastructure; investments that save jobs, create new jobs and new businesses, and help our economy grow again.

More than 90 percent of the jobs created by this plan will be in the private sector – 90 percent. And they won’t be make-work jobs; they’ll be jobs that lay the groundwork for our lasting economic growth – jobs that put people to work today preparing America for tomorrow.

Jobs building wind turbines and solar panels and fuel efficient cars; doubling our investment in clean energy, and helping end our dependence on foreign oil.

Jobs upgrading our schools, creating 21st century classrooms, libraries, and labs for millions of children across America.

Jobs computerizing our health care system, saving billions of dollars and countless lives.

Jobs constructing broadband internet lines that reach Florida’s rural schools and small businesses, so they can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.

Jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, and repairing our dangerously deficient dams and levees so we don’t face another Katrina.

And the jobs of firefighters, teachers, nurses, and police officers that would otherwise be eliminated if we don’t provide states with some relief.

Of course, there are critics who say we can’t afford to take on these priorities. But we have postponed and neglected them for too long. And because we have, our health care still costs too much. Our schools still fail our children. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. And we’ve seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.

They say we can’t afford to take on these tasks. But Florida, you know we can’t afford not to.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that this plan is perfect. No plan is. I also can’t tell you with one hundred percent certainty that everything in this plan will work exactly as we hope. But I can tell you with complete confidence that a failure to act in the face of this crisis will bring only deepening disaster. Doing nothing is not an option.

We’ve had a good debate, but the time for talking is over. Folks here in Fort Myers and across America need help, and the time for action is now. The Americans I’ve met understand that even with this plan, our recovery will likely be measured in years, not weeks or months – but what they don’t have patience for is more waiting on folks in Washington to get this done.

I know people are struggling. But I also know that folks here are good workers and good neighbors who step up, who help each other out, who make sacrifices when times are tough. I know that all folks are asking for is a chance to work hard – and to have that work translate into a decent life for you and your family. You’re doing your part down here – and it’s time the government did its part too.

This is a responsibility we did not ask for. But it is one we must accept for the sake of our future and our children’s. And being here in Fort Myers with all of you, I am more confident than ever before that we can and will set our differences aside, commit ourselves to the work ahead, and come together to meet the great test of our time.

Thank you. And now I’d like to open this up for questions and hear from you.

President Barack Obama on the Economic Stimulus Bill

February 6, 2009

At the House Democratic Caucus Retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia, President Barack Obama spoke about the economic stimulus bill and the critics who believe we can turn back to the same, tired policies of the past.

The speech was fantastic so be sure to read the whole text.

President Obama Visits DOE, Talks Energy Independence

February 5, 2009

Earlier today, President Barack Obama visited staff at the Department of Energy and spoke about energy independence and his plan to stimulate the economy.

After decades of dragging our feet, this plan will finally spark the creation of a clean energy industry that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next few years, manufacturing wind turbines and solar cells for example, and millions more after that. These jobs and these investments will double our capacity to generate renewable energy over the next few years.

We’ll fund a better, smarter electricity grid and train workers to build it – a grid that will help us ship wind and solar power from one end of this country to another. Think about it. The grid that powers the tools of modern life – computers, appliances, even blackberries - looks largely the same as it did half a century ago. Just these first steps toward modernizing the way we distribute electricity could reduce consumption by 2 to 4 percent.

We’ll also lead a revolution in energy efficiency, modernizing more than 75 percent of federal buildings and improving the efficiency of more than 2 million American homes. This will not only create jobs, it will cut the federal energy bill by a third and save taxpayers $2 billion each year and save Americans billions of dollars more on their utility bills. [...]

For the last few years, I’ve talked about these issues with Americans from one end of this country to another. Washington may not be ready to get serious about energy independence, but I am. And so are you. And so are the American people.