Clean Energy can power economy and jobs

[Towntalk]

$2 Trillion has been lost from retirement funds in the past 15 months according to the Associated Press this morning or about 20% of their value, and according to all of the most reliable polls, the economy is the number one issue going into the election on November 4th.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122342685954113657.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

For thousands of families, projects five and ten years out into the future aren't cutting it when they are looking at the bills piling up on their kitchen tables that have to be paid right now.

College students that have to come up with money to pay for their further education are not concerned about what jobs could possible be produced in the future when they have to come up with the money by the end of the week in a tight credit market that is cutting back on student loans.

Home owners aren't spending time worrying about the environment as they struggle to make the next mortgage payment and still have enough left over to put food on the table.

Employees aren't worried about dreams of a brighter future when their companies are making the hard decisions about their future because they can't get the credit they need to stay open.

James Carville helped get Bill Clinton elected twice with the simple slogan: "It's the economy stupid." And it's just as true today as it was back then. Voters are scared and they want solutions, and to be honest about it, I'm worried too.

As for the environmental issues, might I point out that the recent massive bail out bill that is now law, already has set asides for these issues, but given the limited time left in the 110th Congress, it would be up to the 111th Congress to act on them, and in the meantime the economy hasn't placed itself on hold waiting for Congress to act.

We all know that the implementation will not happen over night even if they were placed on fast track, and in the meantime if our economy goes into deep recession, or depression, the whole matter would be mute.

[irishbobcat]

Clean Energy can power economy and jobs

October 8, 2008

As the Green Party Candidate for Congress in the 6th District, again I ask, why can't this type of green energy production be used to return the 6th district to economic prosperity?

Is it because current Congressman Charlie Wilson is being held back by the coal lobbyists who gave him $18,000 over the past two years?


New Study Finds That Clean-Energy Industry Can Power Northwest Economy, Job Creation, and Carbon Reduction

Report Finds Potential for 63,000 New Jobs in Oregon and Washington
Clean Edge and Climate Solutions' Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025

Portland, Ore./ Seattle, Wash. — October 6, 2008 — A new study concludes that five emerging clean-tech industry sectors offer the Pacific Northwest one of the best opportunities for sustained economic vitality and job growth. It also charts the course for private and public investment and leadership to capitalize on the opportunity. 

Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025 is produced by two leading clean-tech organizations — research and publishing firm Clean Edge and research and advocacy organization Climate Solutions. The study provides a comprehensive look at emerging green industries that are projected to provide high-paying jobs and a vital new economic base for the region. It provides a grounded and realistic view of the region's potential role in an increasingly competitive global clean-tech industry. The report can be downloaded at www.cleanedge.com and www.climatesolutions.org.
 
The study focuses on five clean-energy sectors that provide the best opportunities for Oregon and Washington to build a leadership position in intellectual capital and job creation. They are:

     • Solar PV Manufacturing, which is projected to provide up to 22,560 new jobs in the region by 2025;
     • Wind Power Development, expected to reach up to 6,000 new jobs;
     • Green Building Design Services, creator of up to 16,834 new jobs;
     • Sustainable Bioenergy, which could account for 10,419 new jobs; and
     • Smart-Grid Technologies, an industry that could create up to 7,000 new jobs.

In all, the study find these industries have the potential to create more than 63,000 new jobs in the Pacific Northwest by 2025 — a figure that matches the employment in Silicon Forest during its height as a chip manufacturing center. The growth of these clean-tech sectors would position the region as a leader in the dramatic global shift toward cleaner and more efficient forms of energy, transportation, and building systems that reduce pollution and reliance on volatile imported fossil fuels.

The report provides an objective accounting of the region's assets and challenges, and provides a 10-point action plan for Oregon and Washington that includes:

     •  Limiting and reducing global warming pollution by putting a price on carbon;
     •  Ramping up public investment in clean technology funds;
     •  Passing leading edge green building codes;
     •  Deploying clean energy workforce development strategies;
     •  Providing effective clean energy tax credits;
     •  Building a 21st century smart grid. 

"Clean energy is increasingly identified as the sector with the largest growth potential in the U.S. economy, and offers the best promise of meeting the twin challenges of economic and environmental decline," said Ron Pernick, Clean Edge cofounder and managing director and report coauthor. "This report is a case study for how the Pacific Northwest region can seize a leadership role in the clean-tech economy."

Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025 lauds the Pacific Northwest for its green lifestyle, proactive policies, strong natural resource base, and abundant cheap electricity as attributes that give the region a head start in the quest for a strong clean-energy economy. But the report also urges action on cultivating more venture capital in the region, updating energy grid infrastructure, grooming managerial talent for growing clean-tech companies, and developing a comprehensive economic-development strategy for the region.

"To spark a real economic recovery, we need to repower America, and this region should be at the forefront," said Rhys Roth, Climate Solutions' Director of Strategic Innovation. "This report is a blueprint for how the region can become a global leader in clean technology – creating family-supporting jobs, regaining control of our energy future, and delivering real climate solutions."

The study is based on interviews with more than 50 industry, financial, and policy experts in the Northwest, and leverages proprietary Clean Edge data on market sizing, employment figures, and other key market factors.

About Clean Edge
Clean Edge, Inc., with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland, is a leading research and publishing firm that helps companies, investors, and policymakers understand and profit from clean technologies. Founded in 2000, Clean Edge and its network of partners and affiliates offer unparalleled intelligence and insight into the clean-tech sector. Among its many activities, the company publishes the annual Clean Energy Trends report, produces the annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit (along with IBF), and maintains a number of clean-energy stock indexes. To keep abreast of the latest clean-tech news, access industry reports, learn more about the company's annual summit, or sign up for Clean Edge's free e-newsletter, visit www.cleanedge.com.

About Climate Solutions
Climate Solutions is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate practical and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment, and bridging divides in the Pacific Northwest. Since its inception in 1998, Climate Solutions has been the foremost champion of Northwest climate and clean energy leadership that generates economic opportunities for Northwest businesses and workers. Working with a broad array of partners from business, rural, government, and the public-interest community, Climate Solutions helps to advance a new sustainable prosperity in the Northwest that accelerates the technologies, policies, and enterprises that can deliver climate solutions to the world. Climate Solutions has offices in Seattle, Olympia, Portland and Missoula. To learn more, visit www.climatesolutions.org.

ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio's 6th District
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Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!

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