Washington,
DC - Environment America
applauds the Senate’s vote tonight to put America one step further down the path
to a clean energy economy. The
Senate bill contains at least $70 billion in funding for wind, solar, energy
efficiency and public transit.
Environment America urged Congress to cut pollution, save oil and create
jobs by including the best clean energy, energy efficiency, and public transit
provisions from both the House and Senate bills in the final legislation.
“Clean
energy should be the workhorse of our economic recovery. By harnessing the sun and wind, using
energy more efficiently, and improving public transportation, America can cut
more pollution, save more oil, and create more jobs faster than we could by
investing in the dirty energy technologies of the past,” said Environment
Virginia Advocate J.R. Tolbert.
The House
bill invests $80 billion in clean energy, energy efficiency and public
transit. One program, which is
among President Obama’s top priorities, would put Americans to work
weatherizing two million homes.
The House’s $6.2 billion in funding for the Weatherization Assistance
Program would reduce global warming pollution by 12 million tons per year,
provide at least $2.72 in economic benefits for every dollar invested, and
create 465,000 new jobs over two years. The Senate bill contains less funding
for weatherization and transit than the House bill and includes undesirable
loan guarantees for nuclear and coal plants, but it includes a beneficial
renewable energy manufacturing tax credit, according to the group.
The group
highlighted the job creation benefits of clean energy and public transit
investments. According to analysis by the Earth Policy Institute, retrofitting
buildings for energy efficiency could create 6.6 times more jobs than the same
investment in nuclear power and 7.8 times more jobs than the same investment in
coal power. A study by
University of Massachusetts economists last fall found that investing in clean
energy and green infrastructure can create four times as many jobs as a
comparable investment in the oil industry and more jobs, even, than consumer
rebates.
At a town
hall yesterday in Elkhart, Indiana, President Obama said: “The country that
figures out how to make cheaper energy that’s also clean, that country is going
to win the economic competition of the future.” Environment Virginia concurs.
“The green jobs in the economic recovery bill will benefit every American
whether it’s directly through a job, through cheaper energy, or because a clean
energy economy means a healthier environment for us all,” concluded Tolbert.
# # #
Environment
America is a federation of state-based, citizen-funded environment groups
working for clean air, clean water, and open space. www.environmentamerica.org
