The White House has released a “progress report” on clean energy efforts as detailed in a memo from Vice President Joe Biden to President Obama on the eve of Obama’s trip to Copenhagen.
“I’m pleased to report that the administration is laying the foundation for a clean energy economy that will create a new generation of jobs, reduce dependence on oil and enhance national security,” Biden writes.
Read the memo, titled Progress Report: The Transformation to A Clean Energy Economy here.
White House climate czar Carol Browner said the administration has shown a commitment to clean energy in a way that has sparked investment from the private sector.
White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein highlighted the jobs created in this industry in the $787 billion economic stimulus plan. He called it a new foundation that can stimulate economic growth, adding, “we can do well by doing good.”
Biden writes:
“Through the Recovery Act and more effective use of programs already in existence, the administration is taking the critical steps to transform the United States into a global clean energy leader. The energy components of the Recovery Act represent the largest single investment in clean energy in American history and are leveraging private investment and fostering American innovation and ingenuity.”
Bernstein said the administration is helping create “hundreds of thousands of jobs in the near term.”
