January 15, 2009
President-Elect Obama to Tout His Green Economic Recovery Plan Tomorrow at Cleveland-Area Wind Turbine Manufacturing Plant
Federal Clean Energy Initiatives Will Help Revive Economy, Science Group Says
President-elect Barack Obama will make an appearance tomorrow at Cardinal Fasteners, a Bedford Heights, Ohio, wind-turbine manufacturer, to promote the clean energy programs in his economic recovery package. According to experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists, these provisions in Obama's stimulus package have the potential to transform the nation's energy system and generate thousands of green collar jobs.
"President-elect Obama's recovery package is the right medicine for an ailing economy and a dirty, antiquated energy system," said Marchant Wentworth, a legislative analyst for the Clean Energy Program at UCS. "Congress should follow Obama's lead and seize the opportunity to put Americans to work creating a smarter, cleaner and more reliable energy system that will strengthen the economy and protect the environment at the same time."
Among the energy policies being considered for the proposed economic stimulus plan are an extension of the production tax credit for wind power projects; a renewable investment bank to provide loan guarantees for renewable energy projects; a green jobs training program for solar panel installation, wind turbine maintenance and other related work; and block grants for cities and counties to implement energy efficiency measures such as weatherizing residential and commercial buildings.
Ohio is well-positioned to benefit from national renewable energy initiatives. The Buckeye state is one of the 28 states (and the District of Columbia) that have a renewable electricity standard. Ohio's standard, which the state Legislature passed last April, requires Ohio utilities to obtain at least 12.5 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025. The legislation also requires electricity providers to develop programs to reduce their customers' electricity consumption by 22 percent by 2025. According to UCS energy experts, the steady, long-term clean energy market supported by the state's renewable electricity standard will foster more renewable energy development, which in turn will help stabilize energy bills, generate good local jobs like those at Cardinal Fasteners, and help fight global warming.
The more than two-dozen state standards have already bolstered domestic renewable energy development. With the support of these standards, for example, the United States last year became the world's largest wind power producer, surpassing Germany. And, according to the American Wind Energy Association, more wind energy capacity was installed in the United States during 2007 and 2008 than in the entire previous 20 years.
Wentworth said Congress should pass legislation adopting a national version of the states' renewable electricity standards. "President-elect Obama should fulfill his campaign pledge to work with Congress to pass an aggressive 25 percent by 2025 standard," he said. "That would allow all Americans to take advantage of clean, 21st century energy sources."
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The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
