Energy News

Washington, DC - Environment North Carolina applauded the U.S. Senate's move to overcome a procedural hurdle on the economic recovery bill, clearing the way for a final vote on a package that contains at least $70 billion in funding for wind, solar, energy efficiency and public transit. 

“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 North Carolina director Elizabeth Ouzts.

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 and create 465,000 new jobs over two years.

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 than consumer rebates. 

The Senate version of the bill contains loan guarantees for coal and nuclear power and less money for weatherization and public transit than the House version.  But the Senate plans to do more to promote clean energy than the House in one respect:  its bill offers manufacturing tax credits for renewable energy technologies and their components. 

Environment North Carolina urged Congress to include the best clean energy, energy efficiency, and public transit provisions from both the House and Senate bills in the final legislation.