New+energy+initiatives


 * New Energy Initiatives **
 * By: Shannon Gunning**

**//"Saying that America is addicted to oil without following a real plan for energy independence is like admitting alcoholism and then skipping out on the 12-step program." April 2, 2006 Barack Obama //**


 * ** ** Election Promises: **

Before the 2008 election, Obama made numerous promises about changes he intended to make about the environment and new energy initiatives. He promised to invest $150 billion in “clean energy” over the next ten years. Obama hoped to invest in low emission coal plants, transition to a digital electricity grid, and commercialize the use of hybrids. Obama also promised to create a Clean Technologies Venture Capital Fund to make sure that new environmental technologies are not only created in labs, but commercialized for the American public. $10 billion was promised to invest toward this fund. Additionally, Obama promised to improve the coal technologies used in the United States. He sought to commercialize low carbon coal technologies in order to reduce CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. Another promise made to the American people was thathe was going to create a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to provide a $1,000 emergency energy rebate to American families. After Obama won the election, he failed to follow through with the windfall tax return. He decided to not follow through with this tax because, after the election, the prices of energy dropped dramatically.

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**//"The auto industry is on a path that is unacceptable and unsustainable -- for their business, for their workers, and for America. And America must take action to make it right. ... For too long, we've been either too afraid to ask our automakers to meet higher fuel standards or unwilling to help them do it. But the truth is ... we have to do both. We must demand that they revamp their production, we must assist that transition, and we must make the choice to buy these cars when we have the option." May 7, 2007 Barack Obama//**

On May 7, 2007, Barack Obama spoke in Detroit, Michigan on the issue of becoming less dependent on oil, especially from corrupt countries such as Iraq. Here he stressed the point that the United States is at a rare time in history where both Republicans and Democrats agree that something has to be done regarding the issue of fuels for the United States. In this speech, and throughout Obama’s presidency, Obama has stressed that the United States needs to find a sustainable source of energy that does not cause harmful effects for the environment like gasoline burning does. As a start, Obama believes that hybrid cars will make the United States gas usage, as a whole more efficient. In Obama and Biden’s energy plan for America, they vow to put one million plug-in hybrid cars that get up to 150 mpg on the road by 2015. They have also enacted a plan to give $7,000 tax credits to anyone who purchases these advanced vehicles.

**//W//****//ha//****//t is a Hybrid?//**

Hybrid cars are cars that either run on l ess or no gas at all. Hybrids were first made in the 1990’s but were not popularized until later in the 2000’s. The main reason why hybrids became more popular during this time is because gas prices skyrocketed to $3.13 a gallon, compared to the $0.90 a gallon in 1999. Most hybrid cars, including the popular Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, get about 50 miles to the gallon, which is twice the minimum fuel economy standard in the United States. Electric hybrids are also predicted to be the next “big thing” in energy saving cars. Electric cars plug into a wall socket and can run for 30-50 miles before running out of energy. At this time, the gasoline engine takes over.

** Recovery Ac ** ** t Investments in Clean Energy: **

On February 17, 2009, the Recove ry and Reinvestment a ct was passed by Congress. This stimulus plan created by Obama was aimed to stimulate the economy. Obama felt that efficient energy policies would create jobs. Among the taxes and unemployment plans that were included in th is plan, 80 billion dollars was set aside for renewable energy sources and alternative fuel sources. This package aimed to cut the cost of solar power in half by 2015 and cut the cost of batteries for electric cars between 2009 and 2015. Despite the fact that Obama put this money towards environmentally friendly projects, many environmentalists argue that the 29 billion dollars that Congress wants to put towards highway improvement projects is not very environmentally friendly. Regardless, this stimulus package still had many aspects that could help the environment in the long run. “Through the clean energy and green infrastructure investments in this economic recovery package, we can make a down payment on solving global warming while delivering the economic boost we need,” said Doug O’Malley, New Jersey’s Environment Field Director. Another part of the stimulus pla n included 1.5 billion dollars dedicated to improving public transportation systems to make them more green. This money is much needed because American transportation is responsible for over 1/3 of the nation's global warming problems and 60% of it's oil consumption. Additio nally $13 billion dollars of this bill was allotted for transit capital funds, which will make busses more fuel-efficient, save more then 12 million barrels of gas a year, and generate 521,000 jobs.

 After Obama initially laid out what was to be included in the stimulus plan, in July of 2010 he stated that he was going to put 2 billion dollars of this money towards two solar power companies, Abengoa Solar and Abound Solar Manufacturing. Obama said this would not only create over 5,000 jobs, but it would also power 70,000 households and prevent 475,000 tons of CO2 each year.

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Wind Power: Throughout Obama’s Presidency, one source of energy that he strongly pushed for is wind-powered energy. The United States Department of Energy has stated that they hope to have 20% of America’s energy come from wind power by 2030. Reaching this goal will be very costly, with an estimate at over $2 trillion dollars just to raise the giggawat capacity for the United States, but wind power is a much more environmentally friendly form of obtaining energy and will be very effective in the future.

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