President Obama Promises ‘New Era’ of Energy, Environmental Policy
Washington, DC, 26.01.2009 - North America Regional Secretariat
President Obama addresses the public on his commitment to building a new energy future.
Stating emphatically that “No single issue is as imperative to the economy as energy,” President Obama today began to lay the foundation – rapid and widespread deployment of energy efficiency – for a new, clean energy era for the nation.
President Obama signed memoranda at a White House ceremony today directing the Transportation Department to establish higher fuel economy standards for vehicles by model year 2011 and directing the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the bid by California and 13 other states to set tailpipe carbon dioxide emission standards that also would require greater fuel economy.
In his statement, Obama also confirmed his intent to weatherize 2 million homes over the next two years; make significant energy efficiency upgrades to 75 percent of federal buildings, saving taxpayers $2 billion in avoided energy costs; double the country’s renewable energy resource base; and create nearly 500,000 new “green jobs.”
President Obama stated clearly and forcefully that today’s action is but the first salvo in what he described as a “steady, focused, and pragmatic approach” to a new energy future.
Watch the video of this event, courtesy of The New York Times.