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Vendaval -> 2 million green jobs for $100 billion (9/10/2008 6:39:10 PM)
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More news on energy policy from the Center for American Progress Think Tank -
" $100 billion could yield 2 million "green" jobs "
By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent
Tue Sep 9, 2008 4:01pm EDT
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A $100 billion U.S. government investment over two years could create 2 million "green" jobs in such industrial sectors as steel and construction, environmental and labor groups said on Tuesday.
"From the point of view of the steelworkers union, the view is quite simple, that a energy efficient green economy creates jobs and it can create jobs in America," said Leo Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers.
He said the U.S. move toward wind power has already prompted the reopening of two struggling steel mills, now making steel plate for use in new windmills.
Beyond that, the retrofitting of old, energy-inefficient buildings would create jobs for steelworkers, glassmakers and those who manufacture heating and cooling systems, Gerard said in a telephone briefing.
Gerard and others cited a report commissioned by the Center for American Progress think tank, assessing the benefits of the $100 billion investment plan.
John Podesta, president of the think tank and a former Clinton administration official, said $50 billion of the investment would be tax credits to help private businesses and homeowners pay to make their buildings more energy efficient; $46 billion would be in the form of direct government spending on retrofitting buildings, expanding mass transit and freight rail, making "smart" electrical grids and new investment in renewable energy; and $4 billion in federal loan guarantees.
To put the amount in perspective, Podesta said the April 2008 stimulus program cost $168 billion."
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0930092120080909?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
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