Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: April 29, 2009

President Obama Touts Clean Energy on Earth Day

On Earth Day, President Obama marked the occasion by delivering an in-depth speech on clean energy jobs and technologies and the response to climate change. The speech focused primarily on renewable energy and energy efficiency, and the president noted the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on the growth of those technologies in the U.S. Obama announced the publication of a rule for leasing areas on the Outer Continental Shelf for offshore wind power facilities (see the separate article below). He delivered the speech at Trinity Structural Towers, a company that manufactures steel towers for wind turbines. The company's manufacturing plant in Newton, Iowa, revitalized a former Maytag plant and created new "green jobs" in Newton, serving as a symbol of what the president called "a new era of energy exploration in America."

"Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy," he said.  "The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. We can allow climate change to wreak unnatural havoc across the landscape, or we can create jobs working to prevent its worst effects. We can hand over the jobs of the 21^st century to our competitors, or we can confront what countries in Europe and Asia have already recognized as both a challenge and an opportunity: The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21^st-century global economy." See the full text of the speech on the White House Web site.

Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis commemorated Earth Day by preparing an op-ed article on green jobs and energy independence, which was published in six major newspapers. Referring to renewable energy as "the growth industry of the 21^st century," the article emphasized that "rather than sending billions overseas to pay for these new and developing energy technologies, President Obama believes we should invest those dollars here in American jobs and innovation." It also noted that a clean energy economy could end U.S. dependence on foreign oil and begin to make the U.S. truly energy independent, concluding that "that's not just an economic and environmental imperative, it's also a national security imperative." See the op-ed article on the White House Web site.

DOE Offers $300 Million in Recovery Act Funds for Clean Cities Program

On Earth Day, Vice President Joe Biden announced $300 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for state and local governments and transit authorities to expand the nation's fleet of clean vehicles and the fueling infrastructure necessary to support them.

The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles Pilot Program will support at least 30 projects involving alternative fuels or advanced vehicles. Technologies eligible to be funded include various light- and heavy-duty vehicles, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydraulic hybrid, electric, fuel cell, and compressed natural gas. In addition, projects can support refueling infrastructure for alternative fuels, including biofuels and natural gas. Other efforts eligible for funds include public awareness campaigns and training programs on alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and infrastructure. The program requires a 50% cost share from participants.