President Obama confirmed his commitment to clean energy and to environmental and public health protections in his State of the Union Address last night. He celebrated the extraordinary growth of the clean energy economy, and he laid out a plan to create more clean energy jobs and more responsible energy development.
“We don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy,” the president said.
We know the president is correct because clean, low-pollution energy is already putting hundreds of thousands of Americans to work. More than 100,000 people currently work in the solar industry, according to the National Solar Jobs Census. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the wind industry employs 85,000 Americans. And more than 150,000 Americans currently have jobs making parts for and assembling clean cars—hybrids, electric cars, and other advanced vehicles that hardly existed 10 years ago.
American innovators could achieve far more with the right incentives and market signals in place. Last night, the president said the time has come to create those.
We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.
NRDC has been fighting to extend these clean energy tax credits, and we welcome the president’s support. We’ve also been calling on Congress to pass a clean energy standard with a laser focus on wind, solar, and other renewable power sources and create incentives for energy efficiency. We were pleased that last night the president once again backed measures to promote the use of clean energy and efficiency.
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