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Hi everyone, It has been a busy
couple of weeks on clean energy for the Obama Administration, so we wanted to
package a few items together and send along some of the
recent actions the Administration has taken to lay the foundation for America’s
clean energy future. This includes Op-Eds, announcements, blog posts, and
further action and implementation. In
this email: 1.
Taking
initiative on clean energy legislation – Director Carol Browner 2.
Awards
for groundbreaking energy research projects –Secretary Steven Chu 3.
Clean
energy and small businesses in Maine – Administrator Karen Mills 4.
USDA
and Navy join hands for clean energy future – Secretary Tom Vilsack 5.
White
House blog posts on Clean Energy (Green Jobs, Weatherization, and Solar) 6.
Clean
Energy and Climate Legislation - Secretary Shaun Donovan 7.
Electricity
Infrastructure Across Rural America - Secretary Vilsack
TAKING INITIATIVE ON
CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATION Taking Initiative on clean
energy – Carol Browner, Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate
Change Policy Ms.
Browner notes the Administration’s efforts to lay a new foundation for
America’s clean energy future through the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act and the President’s leadership. She outlines the need for passing
comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year and details the
Administration’s efforts, “We are working with senators to achieve the
strongest possible legislation during this Congress to provide the necessary
incentives and certainty in the marketplace for a chance to a clean energy
economy.” For more details, please refer to the
attached document from Ms. Browner. AWARDS FOR
GROUNDBREAKING ENERGY RESEARCH PROJECTS Department
of Energy Awards $92 Million for Groundbreaking Energy Research Projects – Secretary
Steven Chu, Department of Energy Secretary
of Energy Steven Chu announced 43 cutting edge research projects that aim to
dramatically improve how the U.S. uses and produces energy. Funded with $92
million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Department
of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), today’s
selections focus on accelerating innovation in green technology while
increasing America's competitiveness in grid scale energy storage, power
electronics and building efficiency. He notes that “These innovative
ideas will play a critical role in our energy security and economic growth. It
is now more important than ever to invest in a new, clean energy economy.”
For more details, please refer to the attached document from Secretary Steven
Chu. CLEAN ENERGY AND SMALL
BUSINESSES IN MAINE Maine Voices: Small
businesses using clean energy – Administrator Karen Mills, Small Business
Administration In her opinion piece, Ms.
Karen Mills notes that jobs in Maine’s clean energy grew more than 20 percent
from 1998 to 2007 -- nearly seven times the overall growth rate of jobs in the
state. The Recovery Act has also created hundreds of jobs to weatherize about
4,000 low-income homes. Wind energy companies have joined with the
University of Maine to help design, test and develop floating wind turbine
platforms over the next 10 years. SBA’s recovery loans in particular have
helped entrepreneurs who are working to install solar panels, wind turbines, and
more in support of clean energy. For
more details, please refer to the attached document from Ms. Mills. USDA AND NAVY JOIN
HANDS FOR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE Unlikely partnership for
our clean energy future – Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack of the
Department of Agriculture reviews the benefits of the newly formed partnership
between the USDA and the Department of the Navy. The relationship will
channel research and development efforts of renewable energy solutions – especially
advanced biofuels – to meet the Navy’s needs. Secretary of the
Navy Ray Mabus has mandated that by 2020, the Navy and Marine Corps meet 50
percent of all their energy needs using alternative fuels, including biofuels.
The overall goal is for the Navy to be
less dependent on foreign fossil fuel supplies while supporting American
agricultural producers. For more details, please refer to the attached document from Secretary
Vilsack. WHITE HOUSE BLOG POSTS
ON CLEAN ENERGY Going Green in Denver-
Secretary Hilda Solis, Department of Labor On a recent visit to Denver,
CO, Secretary Hilda Solis visited the Denver Green Jobs Initiative, a program
that provides free green jobs training to the unemployed, women, and
minorities. In her blog she notes that “Denver and Colorado as a whole
are really taking an interest in green industries. Several employers have
already reached out to the Denver Green Jobs Initiative as a pipeline for
several planned transportation, retrofitting, and green construction projects…I’m
proud that the Department of Labor is [supporting this effort] though our
investment in the Denver Green Jobs Initiative. This program received over $3.6
million from the Department of Labor as part of the Pathways out of Poverty
Initiative.” For
more details, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/08/going-green-denver
From Sand to Solar –
Secretary Steven Chu, Department of Energy Secretary of the Interior Ken
Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu were just in Nevada and announced a
venture to help promising solar technologies go to market. “The Dept of
Energy and the Dept of Interior recently signed an agreement to dedicate more
than 25 square miles to solar energy research – an area larger than Manhattan.
There will be a particular focus on the future of Concentrating Solar
Power, or CSP.” For more details, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/08/sand-solar
Smith Electric Just One
Example of Innovation in Kansas City - Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor at the
Department of Energy Earlier this week, President
Obama met with workers at Smith Electric’s new factory in Kansas City,
Missouri. Matt Rogers notes that “with a $32 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act coupled with $36 million in private capital, the electric vehicle company
is building up to 500 all-electric trucks. Along with creating new jobs
and breathing life back into this facility, this project is helping demonstrate
that electric-drive cars and trucks are real.”
While visiting Smith Electric, the President said “[T]he reason I’m here
today is because, at this plant, you’re doing more than just building new
vehicles. You are helping to fight our way through a vicious recession
and you are building the economy of America’s future.” At the project’s
peak, Smith is projecting to support over 220 direct and indirect jobs.
For more details, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/08/smith-electric-just-one-example-innovation-kansas-city
Weatherizing 82,000 Homes
This Summer – Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy Cathy Zoi writes about the
importance of ‘weatherization’ – the process of installing insulation,
caulking, weatherstripping, windows, better furnaces or water heaters – to help
families save energy. As part of the Recovery Summer, over 82,000
low-income families will have their homes retrofitted and ultimately benefit
from lower energy bills. For more details, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/07/weatherizing-82000-homes-summer
Solar and Smart Grid:
Powering a Clean Energy Future- Nancy Sutley, Chair of White House Council on
Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley’s visit to the
clean tech hub in Silicon Valley included tours of Nanosolar, Cisco Systems,
and SunPower. All of these companies are on the forefront of solar and
smart-grid technology, engaged in products ranging from thin film solar cells
to smart-grid technology. For more details, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/07/solar-and-smart-grid-powering-a-clean-energy-future
CLEAN ENERGY AND
CLIMATE LEGISLATION Secretary Shaun Donovan,
Department of Housing and Urban Development “The worst environmental
disaster in our nation's history threatens the Gulf Coast and the families who
live there. Stopping the oil spill and containing its damage is the top
priority of the Obama administration and the country alike. But of all the
lessons to be drawn from this tragedy, perhaps the most important is that we
can't afford to let the next generation be held hostage to energy sources from
the last century.” Please
refer to the attached document to learn more about Secretary Donovan’s ideas on
reducing America’s carbon footprint. IMPROVING ELECTRICITY
INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS RURAL AMERICA
Justin DeJong |
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Attachment:
Carol_Browner_12July2010.pdf
Description: Carol_Browner_12July2010.pdf
Attachment:
07_12 DOE Awards $92 million for ARPA-E.pdf
Description: 07_12 DOE Awards $92 million for ARPA-E.pdf
Attachment:
Karen_Mills_12July2010.pdf
Description: Karen_Mills_12July2010.pdf
Attachment:
Tom_Vilsack_12July2010.pdf
Description: Tom_Vilsack_12July2010.pdf
Attachment:
Clean Energy_Donovan_5July2010.pdf
Description: Clean Energy_Donovan_5July2010.pdf
Attachment:
Electricity Infrastructure_Vilsack_7July2010.pdf
Description: Electricity Infrastructure_Vilsack_7July2010.pdf
