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2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/10/2008 6:39:10 PM

Vendaval

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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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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/10/2008 6:52:33 PM

popeye1250

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That'd be nice but they also promised us, "Millions of high-paying manufacturing jobs" if they passed "Nafta".

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/10/2008 7:16:36 PM

corysub

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FDR created jobs during the depression giving government funds to paint building, giving artists work, clearing fire paths in the woods with the CCC, and on and on. Not one job adding to the strengthening of the American economy. I'm not going to analyze the numbers and assume that Center for American Progress is a well meaning, if liberal group.

However, think of the "real" jobs that can be created in drilling, putting those steel mills to work making pipe for wells, pipelines, refineries,...think of the real jobs that can be created using clean coal... building new upgraded furnaces for utilities, steel mills and paper mills, think of the jobs that can be created by building 30-40 nuclear power plants giving America a proven, clean and cheappower available..and significantly reducing the demand of American industry for foreign oil.
And all of these are politically correct "Green" and, more importantly, proven and available now..and do not put Americans literally in the role of Don Quixote chasing windmills. I can be convinced of the viability of windmill power when I see a windmill farm off the Hyannisport compound of Ted Kennedy.

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/10/2008 7:44:17 PM

OneMoreWaste

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Huh. I would have expected windmills to use more aluminum or possibly composites. I passed a train in Louisiana carrying dozens windmill blades the size of tractor-trailers... freakin' surreal.

I'm gonna start my own think tank. I have lots of great ideas for spending other people's money!

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/10/2008 8:23:43 PM

Vendaval

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At least this would be money invested here rather than abroad.

quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250
That'd be nice but they also promised us, "Millions of high-paying manufacturing jobs" if they passed "Nafta".

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/11/2008 2:58:43 AM

DarkSteven

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Damn. Why the heck does anyone think that Bush's economics make any sense?

He came up with the idea of a "stimulus". Translation - the American consumer is tapped out and has no crdit left. So let's have the government use ITS credit to borrow from the future and add to the deficit to goose the economy short term. Now even the left is proposing this stupid idea.

Why the heck should I as a taxpayer support paying $50K average per green job?

The government does have legitimate functions. Spending large amounts of taxpayer money to create industries and chunks of the economy is NOT one. As someone who has worked for government contractors, the dislocations that occur when funding runs out and you have 2 million people trained to work green suddenly left without a legitimate market,,,

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/11/2008 4:21:14 PM

thornhappy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: corysub
think of the jobs that can be created by building 30-40 nuclear power plants giving America a proven, clean and cheappower available..and significantly reducing the demand of American industry for foreign oil.

Nuclear power has never been cheap, corysub. It runs far overbudget and the most successful programs (think France) are heavily subsidized. And with on-site storage of the highest-activity waste, with no established storage facility in the US for lower wastes, it's not clean. in the sense of toxicity. It's not even clean in terms of the damage done by mining it (just ask the Navajo/Dineh).

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/11/2008 5:08:27 PM

Vendaval

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I want the federal government to be investing in the long term infrastructure of the United States. Retrofitting old factories and putting more people to work rather than on welfare is a great place to start.

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/11/2008 5:28:15 PM

popeye1250

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Vendaval

I want the federal government to be investing in the long term infrastructure of the United States. Retrofitting old factories and putting more people to work rather than on welfare is a great place to start.

Ven, I agree, that's tough to argue against.
However before we can do that we need to have a "Seperation of big business and state."

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RE: 2 million green jobs for $100 billion - 9/11/2008 5:55:51 PM

Vendaval

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That would take a bigger crowbar and more Crisco than you and I together could manage.