Reflections on the State of the Union’s clean energy initiatives (video)

President’s Obama’s State of the Union speech spelled out the challenges we face both at home, and laid an outline for moving forward. While I didn’t agree with all of what the President said, I did agree with a few things. First, that “no area is more ripe for innovation than energy.” New clean energy policies are good for our economy. They’ll create the right incentives for innovation and investment that help create new jobs using clean energy. These are family-supporting jobs in manufacturing, construction and engineering for workers installing wind turbines and solar panels, retrofitting buildings and building next-generation fuel-efficient cars. The President stated that 200,000 jobs have been saved or created in construction and clean energy, and Florida is well positioned to capitalize on new clean energy policies that would incentivize new jobs, businesses and industries. Recent studies find that the right policies will create up to 78,000 new jobs in Florida – and more than 1.7 million all across America.

Secondly: “the nation that leads the clean energy economy, will be the nation that leads the global economy.” It’s not just environmentalists arguing that bold clean energy and climate policies are the key to creating new jobs and rebuilding the economy – some of America’s most respected companies are also pushing for Senate action this year. Recently, 84 CEOs from U.S. companies, including Nike, Virgin America, eBay and Levi Strauss, drafted a letter to President Obama and the U.S. Congress that stated:

“We, American business leaders from companies of all sizes and sectors of our economy, call on you to move swiftly and boldly to enact comprehensive energy and climate legislation. This legislation will spur a new energy economy and with it create 1.7 million new American jobs, many in struggling communities across the country. At the same time, it will enhance our national security by making America more energy independent while also cutting carbon emissions.”

The CEOs caution that “the United States is falling behind in the global race to lead the new energy economy” and that only “strong policies and clear market signals” will help American firms compete globally in the race for the clean energy technologies of the future – and the jobs that go with them.

Finally, the President stated that we can’t afford to wait. “Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. These nations — they’re not standing still. These nations aren’t playing for second place. They’re putting more emphasis on math and science. They’re rebuilding their infrastructure. They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs. Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America.”...(click link to read more)