Tell President Obama we support him … we will still push for change we all voted for and believe in …
Tag Archives: ~ Culture & History
Clean Energy initiative … introduced 1/8/2010 by President Obama
As we move into 2010 the percentage of jobs lost has not subsided and the stimulus package has not produced as many jobs as the Obama Administration had hoped, the percentage, still in the double digits, 10%. This slow turn around has the Obama Administration taking steps to increase job creation of 17thousand if not more jobs by injecting money and giving tax credits to green businesses. Tax credits were awarded to 183 projects in 43 states, which, hopefully will boost the economy.
As the President introduced the Clean Energy initiative, he promised that these green jobs will not be outsourced, he also reminded the nation that America started out being the number one in Energy Innovation and manufacturing. These jobs and others primarily held by Americans have since been sent overseas, in my opinion because material and labor was and still is very cheap.
Today, China is one if not the biggest manufacturer of solar panels, wind and other clean energy technology products; it’s obvious America needs to improve upon our status and production of green jobs, green products and innovation.
The Clean Energy initiative is a package of 2.3billion dollars to forge a future for Americans by starting to manufacture solar, wind and hopefully infrastructure projects, these projects must be in service by 2014, but approximately 30 percent of them will be completed by 2010, the administration estimated. The money used will be coming from the stimulus package as well as an additional 5billion of private capital provided to the manufacturing sector to create thousands of additional jobs.
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EPA Strengthens Smog Standards
EPA Strengthens Smog Standard/Proposed standards, strictest to date, will protect the health of all Americans, especially children
Release date: 01/07/2010
Contact Information: Cathy Milbourn milbourn.cathy@epa.gov 202-564-7849 202-564-4355
Complete article at yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf or http://www.epa.gov
The United States Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the strictest health standards to date for smog. Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease. Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The agency is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health.
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LABOR — BUSINESS LOBBYISTS YEARN FOR THE DAYS WHEN BUSH APPOINTEE ELAINE CHAO RAN THE LABOR DEPARTMENT:
The Associated Press …
reports that the first year of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ tenure has brought “aggressive moves to boost enforcement and crack down on businesses that violate workplace safety rules have sent employers scrambling to make sure they are following the rules.” In many ways, Solis has reversed the course of the Labor Department that was set by her Bush-era predecessor, Elaine Chao. Solis’ crackdown has business lobbyists yearning for the days when Chao ran the show. “Our members are concerned that the department is shifting its focus from compliance assistance back to more of the ‘gotcha’ or aggressive enforcement first approach,” Karen Harned, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business’ small business legal center, told BusinessWeek. Keith Smith, a spokesman for the National Association of Manufacturers, explained that his organizations wants “to build upon [Chao’s] progress and recognize what’s working.” The business lobbyists’ reaction to Solis’ tenure is unsurprising, given the fact that her predecessor’s Labor Department spent eight years “walking away from its regulatory function across a range of issues, including wage and hour law and workplace safety.” The Government Accountability Office found that under Chao, the agency “did an inadequate job of investigating complaints by low-wage workers who alleged that their employers were stiffing them for overtime, or failing to pay the minimum wage.” In one survey, 68 percent of low-income workers reported a pay violation in the previous week alone. Solis, meanwhile, has “slapped the largest fine in [Department] history on oil giant BP PLC for failing to fix safety problems after a 2005 explosion at its Texas City refinery.” She is hiring 250 additional wage-theft inspectors, and “started a new program that scrutinizes business records to make sure worker injury and illness reports are accurate.”
thinkprogress.org
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Cash for Appliances …
By Renee DeFranco
Many traded in their “clunkers” for new fuel-efficient vehicles in 2009. As we move into 2010, the popularity of green appliances is heating up.
That’s thanks to a newly launched federal appliance rebate program, modeled after the popular Cash for Clunkers incentive. We provided a sneak peek back in August, and now the deal has officially begun. Consumers can receive cash for swapping their older clothes washers, refrigerators and other appliances for energy-efficient models that qualify for the “Energy Star” designation.
How does the program work? Guidelines and rebate amounts vary by state. California residents, for example, can get $100 rebates for washing machines, $75 for refrigerators and $50 for room air conditioners. To see how your state stacks up, check out the program information currently available on the federal web site.
If you’re in the market for new home-appliance upgrades, now may be the time to cash in. But first, there are some finer points to consider. For instance, will you save enough in water and energy bills over time to justify splurging on a new product? (The older the appliance, the greater possibility of saving money by buying a new one, suggests this Associated Press article.) Also, just because you’re getting a federal rebate, be sure you shop around to find the absolute best deal.
Still interested?
Then it’s helpful to act sooner, rather than later. That’s because the federal appliance rebate program received only $300 million, which is one-tenth of what the Cash for Clunkers incentive garnered and about $1 per U.S. resident. The program is expected to end by February 2012 or when the money runs out — whichever happens first. We saw what reached the finish line first in Cash for Clunkers… government funding.
Do you plan to take advantage of the federal appliance rebates? Do you have energy-efficient appliances in your home, and do you think they were worth the investment? Share your thoughts here. <——– click the link to respond to Renee DeFranco
— The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
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