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 USA LEADING GLOBAL SHIFT TO GREEN ECONOMY
Posted by on 2009-01-22 10:13:51
contributed by gfoat
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have put forward their vision for a cleaner and safer world. The United States is confronted by two major energy challenges, dependence on foreign oil and global climate change, both of which stem from its current dependence on oil for energy. They are initiating a move away from dependence on oil to investment in diverse sources of clean, secure energy, which will have repercussions throughout the rest of the world.
President Obama will re-engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary, that is 80% by 2050. All the emissions permits will be auctioned and the receipts used for rebates and other forms of relief to ensure that families and communities are not adversely affected by the transition to a new energy, low carbon economy. From these receipts, approximately $15bn per year will be allocated to support the development of energy efficiency measures and clean fuels for buildings and vehicles.
Sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories
A sustained effort will be made to diversify energy sources and make more use of indigenous supplies. Alongside the implementation of carbon capture and storage technologies, this will include the development of renewable energy sources, like solar, wind and geothermal. There will be a requirement that 10% of electricity consumed in the U.S. will be derived from renewable energy sources by 2012 and this will be increased to 25% by 2025. The federal Production Tax Credit will be extended to encourage the production of renewable energy.
By the end of his first term in office, President Obama will ensure that all new cars are fuel flexible and advanced biofuels to meet this demand will be obtained as soon as possible. A National Low Carbon Fuel Standard will be established which will require fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon content of fuels, while ensuring that increased biofuels production does not come at the expense of environmental conservation.
1 million plug-in EVs by 2015
As a U.S. senator, Barack Obama led efforts to jump-start federal investment in advanced vehicles, including combined plug-in hybrid/flexible fuel vehicles, which can get over 150 miles per gallon of gas. As President, Obama will continue this leadership by investing in advanced automotive technology with a specific focus on R&D in advanced battery technology. They will invest in developing advanced vehicles and put 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015. His government will also provide a $7,000 tax credit for the purchase of advanced technology vehicles, as well as conversion tax credits. To help create a market and show government leadership in purchasing highly efficient cars, Barack Obama has committed, within one year of becoming President, to convert the entire White House fleet to plug-ins (subject to security requirements) and half of all cars purchased by the federal government will be plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012.
Re-building manufacturing capacity for green jobs
They will establish a federal grant program to identify and support local manufacturers with the most compelling plans for modernizing existing or closed manufacturing facilities to produce new advanced clean technologies. This investment will help provide the critical up-front capital needed by small and mid-size manufacturers to produce these innovative new technologies. Retooling tax credits and loan guarantees will also be available. It is planned to extend education and skills training for 5 million new jobs in order to meet growing world demand for green technologies.
Planning the most energy efficient country in the world!
President Obama's administration will strive to take America from its current position as the 22nd most energy efficient country, up to the first place, as the most energy efficient country in the world! Buildings, electrical appliances and vehicles will all have to meet stringent efficiency standards and companies supplying energy will no longer make their profits from selling more fuel, but they will be rewarded for reliability and performance in meeting customers needs. For the last hundred years communities have been organized around the principle of cheap gasoline, but planners will be required to start to build more sustainable communities and federal transportation funding will be reformed. Advanced technologies, incorporating distributed generation, storage and smart metering will be introduced to ensure that the electricity grid meets 21st century requirements.
www.whitehouse.gov
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