Transcript goinggreen

Going Green
U.S. Environmental Policy
“ So we have a choice to make. We can remain
one of the world’s leading exporters of foreign
oil, or we can make the investments that would
allow us to become the world’s leading
exporter of renewable energy. We can let
climate change continue to go unchecked, or
we can help stop it. We can let the jobs of
tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create
those jobs right here in America and lay the
foundation for lasting prosperity.”
-President Obama, March 19 2009
The Problems
 Large companies are laying off large amounts
of workers making the unemployment rate rise.
 Not only are these large companies giving up
hundreds of jobs, but they are also using
energy that could harm our environment
 The US relies too much on foreign countries to
supply our oil
 By doing so a lot of the available labor is over seas
instead of in the US
 Climate change
 Country is not energy-efficient.
What’s happening?
 Electronics giant, Hewlett Packard is
laying off 150 workers in Vancouver
 Weyerhaeuser is closing a sawmill and
veneer near Aberdeen, eliminating 220
jobs.
 American’s also losing jobs to
outsourcing.
 Pollution in U.S. hitting an all time high.
What does Obama propose
we do?
 “New energy technologies that will lead to even more
jobs, more savings, and cleaner and safer planet…”
President Obama
 Double production of alternative energy in the next
three years.
 Improve energy efficiency of 2 million American homes.
 Put Americans to work in jobs that pay well and can’t
be outsourced, doing things like building solar panels,
and wind turbines, constructing fuel efficient cars and
buildings
 Reduce Greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050.
 Eliminate current imports from middle east and
Venezuela within 10 years
“Clean Energy, Green Jobs”
January 2009
 Requirements:
 New buildings to have zero green house
gas by 2030
 Require the state motor pool to phase in
vehicles that have a fuel efficiency rating
of at least 36 miles per gallon
 Weatherize the homes of low-income
residents through an existing program
 Include multiple sales tax breaks for
purchases of hybrid or electric vehicles
 Encourage businesses to become
environmentally friendly.
Why it won’t Work:
Public Opinion
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The renewable energy industry does not have the capabilities to power large areas of a
fossil fuel driven economy
Obama's “green job plan” requires the construction of 10’s of thousands of windmills,
thus for saving the environment from harmful pollution, and giving truck loads of
people jobs in helping to build these windmills.
 This plan is compared to a shoe keeper’s store window being smashed in by
children. The broken window can be argued in both a positive and negative case
 Sure the shopkeeper could be sympathized with, but his broken window could
also help the economy. The broken window would give the glass maker
business which could give him enough money to buy new groceries or new
clothes therefore giving those store business
 In this case the broken windows would be the lost jobs in the coal, gas,
nuclear and automobile industries. The Obama plan would then create new
jobs in the renewable energy sector, and the broken window would be taken
care of from the tax payers dollar.
Therefore Obama’s green job is a win/lose situation. It would create new jobs, but at the
same time get rid of others
Other than loss of other jobs in place of new ones, consumers would have less saving
and disposable income because of the higher costs required to purchase biofuels.
This “green jobs” plan has been thought of before in the Carter administration and
ended up in ultimate failure.
Politics in Favor
 Special interest groups like the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) applaud Obama’s efforts and think he has made
the grade so far in Environmental policy.
 The Natural Resources Defense Council works to protect wildlife and wild
places and to ensure a healthy environment for all life on earth. They said that
Obama has restored U.S. leadership in the arena of climate change.
 “The Apollo Alliance applauds the president’s continued focus on
creating jobs through investments in clean and efficient energy
systems…”
 The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental, and
community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution that will put
millions of Americans to work in a new generation of high-quality, green-collar
jobs.
 This bill was passed in the house and now needs to be passed in
the senate.
Other Interest Groups in
Favor
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One Sky, Environment America, League of Conservation Voters,
VoteVets.org, Natural Resources Defense Council, Alliance for climate
protection, American Rivers, Center for American Progress Action Fund,
Clean Water Action, Climate solutions, Environmental Defense Fund, Oxfam
America, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, National Audubon
Society, Pew Environment Group, Pacific Gas and Electric, Applied Materials,
Aspen Snowmass, Austin energy, Avista Corporation, Clif Bar and Company,
Duke Energy Corporation, eBay Inc., Exelon, fpl group, Kleiner Perkins et al,
Levi Strauss & Co., National Grid, Hewlett Packard, Nike, NRG Energy, Public
Service Enterprise Group, Seventh Generation, Starbucks corporation,
Symantec Corporation, Murray energy corporation, Alcoa, AES Corporation,
Alstom, Boston Scientific Corporation, bp america, Caterpilar Inc., Chrysler
LLC, Conocophillips, Deere & Company, Dow Chemical Company, DuPont,
Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson,
Nature Conservancy, PepsiCo, PNM Resources, Rio Tinto, Shell, Siemens
Corporation, World Resources Institute, United Steelworkers,
Communications Workers of America, Service Employees International
Union, Laborers' International Union of North America, Utility Workers Union
of America, The American Civil Rights Union
Politics Against
 Many economists do not think plan is practical because while it
creates more jobs, it also may eliminate jobs in the fossil fuel
industry.
 The Senate is not all in favor yet.
 The American Petroleum Institute is an interest group in opposition
to this bill, along with the National Mining Association and the
Alliance for Workers freedom.
 More than 80 billion dollars in clean energy investments
Other Interest Groups
Against
American Farm Bureau Federation, Greenpeace, Rainforest
Action Network, Public Citizen, International rivers, Friends of
the Earth, National Mining Association, American Petroleum
Institute, Alliance for Worker Freedom, American
Conservative Union, American Shareholders Association,
Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, Ethan
Allen Institute, College Republican National Committee,
National Pork Producers Council
Other Proposals
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Waxman-Markey energy bill (American Clean energy and Security Act)
 Cap and trade global warming reduction plan
 Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2020
 Renewable requirements for utilities
 Incentives for new carbon capture and sequestration technologies
 Awaiting action by full Senate.
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Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Bill
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Sponsored by Senator John Kerry
Short term and long term emissions limits
Consumer protection measures
Development of clean energy technologies like natural gas
Assigned to Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works
Neither bill is popular.
Could This Really Happen?
Policy Window Forecast
 It has already been passed in the house, and it waiting for
passage by the senate, however it seems that the senate is pretty
divided on this issue as no decision has yet been made.
 It seems to us the costs slightly outweigh the benefits. This would
cost over 80 billion dollars and would take a very long time to fully
implement.
 Even if it does create many green jobs, it may take a while to train
all of those workers to do those jobs, and we don’t even know if it
will work.
 It will be difficult to get all American to switch to these new, clean
forms of energy, especially in the automobile industry
 We feel it will become a real policy eventually but with some
tweaking and not right now.
We will see…
Sources
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008677353_apwaxgrgreenjobs1
stldwritethru.html?syndication=rises
www.whitehouse.gov
http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2009/12/30/obama-gets-high-marks-forgreen-record-environmental-group/
www.allbusiness.com
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2454