Biden hails green jobs; Sierra Club opposes energy bill

The Hill ^ | June 17, 2009 | Reid Wilson

[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.

[taxesareforever]

“”We’re not just looking for jobs, we’re looking for decent jobs,” Biden told business and environmental leaders gathered on Capitol Hill.”

Forget your garbage. Throw in the street. People shouldn’t have to collect garbage to make a “decent” living.

[Fee]

The Danes had offshore windmills for over a decade. Here is the results. Large windmills require a minimin windspeed to just turn. If the wind drops below it, the windmill (i.e power) comes to an instant stop. Functionally that is unacceptable and unsafe for community power. One cannot be in the middle of a critical function and the power just shuts off instantly when the windspeed at the mills drop below acceptable minimum speeds. The solution is to have a utility power plant at standby at all times as instaneous backup power. The cost of burning fuel for the backup power plant more than overshadow the savings from the windmills. It was cheaper and less complicated to power directly from the power plant than using the power plant/windmill combination.

[colorado tanker]

I agree. The idea we can replace coal with solar, wind and biofuel, with no nuclear component, just doesn't square with the facts.

[wildbill]

If three out of ten high school students fail to graduate (according to the article posted just before this one) then how is this 30% of the population going to qualify for these ‘green decent jobs’ that will lead them to middle-class heaven.

By the way, do any of you feel like you’re in some middle-class heaven?

[SERKIT]

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???

This is working SO WELL in Spain that the windmill companies are laying off workers and the unemployment rate is over 18%. Yup, bring on the Socialist-Euro-Trash way of life!!!!