9-15-06, 9:38 am
The Clean EDGE Act, short hand for Clean Energy Development for a Growing Economy, proposes a public and private investment program of $49 billion by 2009 in alternative fuels and other energy sources. These programs would generate an estimated 530,000 jobs in immediate construction and long-term manufacturing jobs nationally. Supporters of the proposals expect that it could be a financially self-sustaining program when fully established.
Without adding any new taxes, the bill would require building new gas stations that sell ethanol, the expansion of manufacturing hybrids and bio-diesel-using vehicles, reducing petroleum consumption by 40% by 2020, and using other alternatives such as renewable electricity. The proposal would require that 25% of all cars manufactured in the US by 2015 and 50% by 2020 would be alternative fuel cars. Funding for initial investments would primarily come from revoking enormous taxpayer subsidies of wealthy oil companies enacted by the Republicans.
According to the report, the vast majority of jobs created directly by the investments contained in this bill would be in high-paying industries like construction, manufacturing, information technology, research and development, and real estate.
In its press statement accompanying the report, the Apollo Alliance said, 'the legislation would substantially increase development of wind, solar, biomass and other renewable energy sources.' The bill, if passed, would increase energy efficiency and 'give motorists more choices by ensuring that filling stations sell ethanol and bio-diesel.'
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), one of the bill's sponsors, told a press conference yesterday that in her state this type of alternative energy investment fits well with what Michigan residents want in terms of protecting the environment, job creation, and concerns about national security. Stabenow contrasted Clean EDGE policies with the Republican tax subsidies to large oil companies that force Americans to turn to unstable regions of the world for their energy needs.
In fact, Republican tax breaks to oil and coal companies have blocked development of alternative sources of energy by taking needed funding away and by creating disincentives for corporations and local governments to develop alternatives, Stabenow said.
'I am looking forward to the time,' Stabenow remarked, 'when we can say get your gas from mid-America rather than the Middle East.'
Stabenow estimated that for her state alone, the Clean EDGE Act would create 29,000 jobs, stimulate the emerging alternative energy sector that currently is growing in Michigan, and boost agricultural production at the same time. Biomass created from products like corn and sugar beets, grown locally, would supply the basis for bio-fuels manufactured in new facilities constructed in local areas. Provisions such as these could help Michigan recover more quickly from the 2001 recession, Stabenow added.
The prospects for new investment and job creation have generated broad support for Clean EDGE Act measures from both the Big Three automakers, looking for new ways to compete with foreign-owned auto companies, and leading industrial unions such as the UAW and the Steelworkers union, according to Stabenow.
Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-NY) described the bill as a 'win-win-win strategy' that would strengthen the economy through job creation, national security by the elimination of dependence on oil, and protect the environment by reducing the use of fossil fuels. The Apollo Alliance report estimated that the Clean EDGE Act could create 27,000 new jobs in New York.
Sen. Cantwell added that the bill would 'create technology that would help the US become an energy leader rather than an energy laggard.'
--Joel Wendland is managing editor of Political Affairs and may be reached at
