Posted on 06/17/2009 9:57:43 AM PDT by jazusamo
Vice President Biden on Wednesday reiterated the Obama administration's commitment to building the nation's renewable-energy capacity, an effort he says will create thousands of new jobs.
"We're not just looking for jobs, we're looking for decent jobs," Biden told business and environmental leaders gathered on Capitol Hill. "These are the kind of jobs that allow people to get to the middle class."
Delivering remarks at a green jobs summit held by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, Biden cited studies showing green-collar jobs pay 10 to 20 percent more than "traditional" jobs and noted jobs installing and creating new energy-efficient buildings cannot be outsourced overseas.
But the Obama administration's early relationship with environmental groups has not been smooth. Groups that spent millions to help Obama get elected have been disappointed with some decisions the Interior Department has made, including de-listing a threatened species of wolf in the Northern Rockies and allowing some expansion in offshore drilling.
The same day Biden made his remarks, a key environmental group announced it would oppose energy legislation that passed a Senate committee, calling it watered down beyond acceptable levels.
The energy bill "needs to be significantly strengthened as it moves to the Senate floor, where we believe there is majority support for considerably stronger clean-energy policies," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope in a statement announcing the group's opposition to the bill.
The vice president highlighted the administration's new spending on high-speed rail lines, which will amount to $8 billion allocated in the economic stimulus plan. Biden also pointed to wind farms as a source for new jobs, especially those established off the East Coast.
Biden, who once fought with his home state to install wind farms off the coast, said attitudes have changed as governors up and down the coast look for job-creating initiatives.
"I got every governor on the East Coast calling me and saying, 'Joe, windmills, windmills, windmill farms,'" Biden said. The stimulus package alone, he said, would allow the U.S. to double its renewable-energy capacity in three years.
Introducing Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) cast the push for green jobs as a revolution aimed at changing the fundamental nature of the economy.
"Today, we're firing the first shots of a clean-energy revolution," Reid said. "We already have the tools at our fingertips to create green jobs. We already have the cutting-edge technology and Americans' ingenuity."
"We're on the edge of a big shift, a shift we need to make to meet these challenges, a shift to a clean economy," Biden added. "It's not just the jobs being created, but the impact on the environment is going to be staggering if, we in fact, if this is leveraged into us finally having a 21st-century transportation system in America. And from it will flow new technology."
Reid reiterated his commitment to passing global warming legislation this year, while Biden promised business leaders they would have a partner in the White House as they make their push.
The summit came the same day the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the upper chamber's version of energy legislation by a 15-8 margin. But despite widespread buy-in to the summit from the environmental community, some pro-environmental groups are not thrilled with the legislation.
The Sierra Club said the bill's Renewable Energy Standard falls short. The group also criticized provisions allowing the government to purchase liquid coal and tar sands oil, and allowing more offshore drilling.
"While it makes positive strides in setting new energy-efficiency standards for our buildings and appliances, it falls far short of what President Obama has called for in order to repower America with renewable energy, create millions of new clean energy jobs, and fight global warming," Pope said.
“These are the kind of jobs that allow people to get to the middle class.”
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Certainly Obama did not tell Biden to say THAT!?
So, jobs to maintain a few thousand windmills will somehow create more jobs than the mechanics to repair a few million cars these clowns want to eliminate???
These ass clowns sure do know how to quickly destroy a country.
Idiocy. What we need is a push for multiple nuclear power plants in every state. It would create far more PERMANENT jobs and give the country a reliable supply of electricity that isn't subject to which way the wind blows. It's also clean.
They will create more jobs as the fact that windmills breakdown more often than tradional power generation.
I have yet to see an actual list of these so-called “green” jobs that will be created. hmmmmmmm....
The Energy Bill does not shut down all coal fired power plants within 30 days?
Stop all drilling off shore and on shore?
Disassemble all nuclear power plants?
I can see why The Sierra Club so upset.
Absolutely!
Last weekend I sat BECALMED on my sailboat off the east coast of New England. There was not a whiff of moving air to power the miraculous windmills so desired by the GREENS.
You would either require ALL current power plants to remain up and running 24/7 OR, just let the electricity supplies to the country stop, while waiting for the wind.
Stories of yore, with ships becalmed for days on glass smooth seas are not just legends. It does happen.
Current energy, whether coal, oil, nuclear, or water does NOT cease when the wind drops off. Wind power would.
A windmill will NOT allow a single current power plant to go off line, due to the simple fact of the hours it takes for a power plant to come on line after being shut down.
Can you imagine the screaming during an August heat wave, when the wind died and the power to the airconditioners and HVAC’s of modern buildings had to shut down. Wow..film at 11.
The Sierra Club is nothing more than a coalition of subscribers to a slick magazine that we have allowed to have too much POWER and why? Their agenda is clear, find their platform and you’ll understand. The Sierra Club is the enemy to the USA and always has been.
They do not actively participate in conservation programs (other than telling folks how it ought to be run) or any on the ground efforts other than swaying paid-off politicians and saying NO to every common-sense energy bill.
It's hard to see clearly with one's head up one's butt. These people are really becoming America's enemies quicker than I thought. And, when they get finished with America it will look like the one they have always wanted - a 3rd world country - because the white man is mean and deserves to suffer FOREVER! They are true imbeciles.
Well, that's encouraging! LOL!
I can’t believe how fast they’re doing it. I knew Zero would be bad, but I never guessed how bad and how fast.
I got a robo-call from the Sierra Club awhile back and waited thru it to talk to someone to tell them to remove my number, I’m on the do not call list. They disconnected before I could talk to anyone, needless to say I was a wee bit upset.
I filed a complaint with the do not call people but doubt it’ll do any good.
0bmam is following the game plan
George Sorros' plan to destroy the American Economy
It is a Chicago thing:
"don't read the fine print just sign on the dotted line and do it in the next 5 seconds".
Love your FR page!
Toward the bottom, I was blown away by the number of metals on that WWII soldier(Audie Murphy). I then did some reading on him, and was even more blown away by his story. I’d never heard of the guy. His story should be told in history books!
Thanks.
There has been much written about Audie Murphy. He was a movie star after the war, as a kid I grew up with his movies.
He starred in his own story about WWII and his actions regarding his being awarded the Medal of Honor in “To Hell and Back,” well worth seeing if you haven’t already seen it.
Another gummit doonboggle.
Pray for America
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