Apollo Feedback: What Comes First For New President? Green-Collar Jobs, Economy, Clean Energy, Says Apollo Nation

When we asked what comes first for President-elect Barack Obama, almost 100 of you responded. The Economy. The War. Green-collar jobs. Sun. Wind. Zero-emission vehicles. Transit. One writer suggested Just For Men, to cover the new president’s sure-to-gray-hair. Take a look. So many of you replied that we divided the responses into two Feedback features. This is part one. Part two is here. Thanks so much.

Short, Sweet
1. Economy
2. Bringing home our troops
3. Getting us off our dependence on foreign oil
Elaine Rice

Short, Sweet 2
President-elect Obama should work on the economy first, and energy second, health care third.
Susie Renfrow

Short, Sweet 3
His first priority is to get a team of advisors in place to help the transition.  I would suggest Arjun Makhijani, James Hansen, Amory Lovins, and Lester Brown.
Betsy Bickel

Short, Sweet 4
President Obama’s first order of business should be to undo the final and inevitable assault on the environment that the Bush administration is gleefully planning for their greedy corporate buddies as I write this.
John Frick

Short, Sweet 5
This is important, but not the most. Bringing our troops home is as important if not more so in my opinion.
William Dyda

Short, Sweet 6
1. Alternative energy
3. Get out of Iraq
3. Replace heads of federal agencies EPA, FDA, Dept of Interior, BLM
4. Improve environment
Robert Shannon

Winning Green
There is no question that President-elect Obama was the first candidate to win running on a green plank. From many of us in the clean energy community, the first actions must not only drive a clean energy economy but significantly reduce energy imports, enhance our national security, and strengthen the economy. That means redirecting and leveraging federal and state government purchasing which can be aggregated amounts so new clean energy manufacturing plants can scale their sales — and direct federal and state infrastructure bonds for clean car fleets and renewable energy to power pipeline pumps for water and fuels, the cellular networks, our schools and first responders, and even ATM machines, gas station pumps, and water treatment plants. And finally, push Congress for votes in 2009 for national interconnection standards, a national renewable energy portfolio standard, and a climate change bill that rewards energy effiiency and renewables the most.
Scott Sklar
President
The Stella Group, Ltd,
Chairman
Steering Committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition

Apollo On Steroids
President-elect Obama should roll out an aggressive and large scale economic package focused on nationwide infrastructure revitalization and alternative energy development. Sort of the Apollo Project on steroids. Far more than incentives, I envision, for example,  a project to build X megawatts of wind generating capacity in a short time period together with the transmission lines and grid upgrades to get it to market. And so across the nation. Such policies, in addition to creating many jobs, will send an instant message to skittish world markets that the USA means business. This by itself ought to have a stabilizing effect on the global economy while stimulating our own.
Jim Modiano

Voice of Experience From The South
Here in Alabama we have to be grateful to Utah for being closer to the stone age politically, and Mississippi for foot dragging in other areas. What we need is technical training. I believe we have just four certified solar technicians to serve the whole state. We can’t do much with wind. It is becalmed, or too ferocious to tame in hurricanes. We have quite a bit of sun, however. We’re short of unions and low on fairness. I call the schools from time to time to see if they have training programs for solar techs. That is about all I can do at 77.  But wish you good luck!
Ruth Busch

Celebrate
This is a historic win of true American democracy. Let us celebrate the fact that honesty and inclusiveness prevailed over selfishness, partisanship and disregard for the rest of world. Obama and his team put forward effective and beneficial solutions for the current state of unhealthy economy and politics and the country appreciated and voted for the candidate. Now it is the duty and responsibility of us all to support this president to plan and implement the election promises. We all know the extremely difficulty that the nation will be facing in coming months and years both from within and abroad.

However, it is all the more necessary, now more than ever, that we stay with the campaign plans of creating jobs and improving economy and environmentby investing and building true green economy. We need to build energy plants that do not produce GHGs, SOx, NOx, PM. We need to make energy conservation a cornerstone of our “Rebuild America Program” along with Obama’s promise of investing $15 billion each of next 10 years into Solar, Wind, Ocean energy, bio fuels and many other. We need to make carbon (other pollutants) capture a mandatory requirements for each and every existing and in-the pipe line fossil plants. Provide serious support towards the safety and operation of current and newer nuclear power.

All across the media for last several days, we are listening to proposals of heavily investing in building roads and bridges the way it was done in ‘30s and ‘40s. These people mean well. However, their thoughts are still moored into old vision of increasing the size of fossil fuel based economy. We need to forcefully emphasize and remind the media and new administration about campaign promise of “Green Economy” and layout our plans to implement an effective transition to true green economy.

On a different note, I whole heartedly wish and strongly believe that the effect of the Obama’s victory could positively influence the nature of the solutions that have traditionally been put forward and accepted by world governments. Let us hope that we all change and work for a better environment and fun world.
Peter (Pranab) K Duttaroy
East Brunswick, New Jersey

The Change We’ve Been Waiting For
Obama should continue to work on what he’s worked on throughout this campaign and throughout his career — empowering people. The challenges are far too large for one person alone, even a brilliant, inspiring and talented president, too large for a talented and experienced staff, too large for a government and too large for even the most powerful country on earth. This will take the efforts and actions of all of us. And out of all politicians, Obama may be the only one who can inspire so many people to make the effort, to take the actions and to make the changes and sacrifices that will be necessary if we’re going to accomplish the changes that are so necessary in our world.

Much as I love Obama, it’s foolish to think he’s the Messiah and going to be able to bring all this about on his own. Yet his election is a wonderful sign in so many ways. It is the rolling wave of so many of our actions that has continually built momentum over these so many years and is finally, finally beginning to crest. And what a crest it’s turning out to be. Now is the time to keep the momentum going so that all these plans and possibilities don’t succumb to the many powerful forces that want to stop it.

As Obama realizes, this momentous time in American history has been built on the shoulders of multitudes. This is truly the grassroots will of the people overcoming the will of the powerful. It does appear to be a sea change. But some of us are old enough to remember the hundreds of deaths that occurred because a powerful element of our society violently refused to accept change and progress back during the civil rights movement. Make no mistake there are people with a great deal of power and an even greater fear of change that will make necessary changes very difficult. Obama and all of us will need all of our help and action to turn these possibilities into reality.

But things are definitely looking up. And we may even owe a little gratitude to George W. Bush for the motivation his eight year winter of discontent brought to the world. Sometimes what we need to get going is a whole lot of pain. And Bush certainly delivered on that score. And now the eight year long winter of discontent is finally over and the first buds of spring are finally blooming. We are the change we’ve been waiting for. And now we’re beginning to finally see that everything we’ve done was not done in vain.
Peter Cutler

Agree With Gus
I agree with James Speth, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and author of The Bridge at the Edge of the World that one of the first priorities the President-elect should attempt to accomplish for the economy and ecology of the planet is to eliminate all of the perverse subsidies for coal, oil, natural gas and atomic fission (nuclear power) that come out of the US Treasury both directly and indirectly through tax policy. Then we can begin a great tax policy shift away from labor (income tax) and toward taxing what most of us don’t want: environmental destruction and public disease due to these dirty, dangerous and climate destroying “fuels.”  
James Newberry

Energy War Chest
Now that gas has dropped to $2 per gallon in many parts of the US, I think the new administration should immediately institute a $1 per gallon tax to fund a renewable energy war chest. This war chest could then be used to fund research and development of renewable energy alternatives (solar, wind, geothermal, tidal). These tax funds would serve as a critical investment in our nation’s energy future and would be enable us to begin creating quality jobs that would remain on our soil and to our benefit. While this might not be a popular measure, I believe that such a tax would send a powerful message to the public of the need for strong and swift energy policy.  Given the fact that gasoline was very recently at nearly $4 per gallon, I believe this tax could easily be absorbed by the driving public. Lastly, such a tax would have the added benefits of discouraging unnecessary automobile usage and maintaining the spotlight on automobile efficiency.
James Boyes
Westfield, New Jersey

Moving By Electricity
His first project should be to get America off oil and onto electricity for transportation. We have to quit exporting dollars to countries that hate us and out of the American economy for the purchase of oil.  American built, American Fueled, and Green.
Edward Ellyatt

Trains
Obama should work on building clean, efficient high-speed rail service between states, especially out West where it is lacking and it is very far from one state to another. Also should be included are clean, efficient commuter trains in places like Southern California and other areas that don’t have a good commuter rail system. Cross-country freight transportation by rail should  be included too in order to reduce the great number of polluting trucks crowding and deteriorating highways and freeways meant for cars. Many jobs would be created in the process.
Beverly Huma

Transit
Public transportation needs to be a top priority. Please check out www.barefootcollege.org, or www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/july-dec08/indiaschool_10-6.html to see what is happening in India.  This school is teaching uneducated rural women to make solar panels!   We need a major effort to develop wide-scale solar energy, and this demonstrates it does not have to take so long, or require as much money as the current energy companies would like us to think.  
Jane Silverman

The Economy
Hello!  Obviously the economy, as Obama said, has to be a first priority. And then lots of new green jobs in the green energy area. And then help for worthy people facing foreclosure to be able to keep their homes if they can make some smaller payments. And courts to deal with the rascals that caused and encouraged the ballooning mortgages, as well as accountability before judges for CEO’s of failed institutions.
Christine Chew Smith
Bridgehampton, New York

More Economy
It’s the economy which is the number one priority which is multifaceted: Job creation, stimulus packages, and regulations. He needs to put some teams together, if he hasn’t already, to deal with other multiple crises created by the Bush administration. This so bad, it’s hard to believe it isn’t part of the neo-con plan.
Burt Alber

Price Emissions
President elect Obama needs to put a price on carbon emissions.
Gerson G

End War
1. Get out of Iraq-use the money for renewable energy.

2. Any bail out of Detroit must be for retooling for energy efficient cars. Natural gas should have happened 30 years ago.

3. Construction jobs rebuilding infrastructure and any and all renewable energy jobs.

4. Open all of our closed high-tech plants like the Hyndex semiconductor plant in Eugene and develop wave power. The state has several  research programs in this area and they are ready to go!

5. Any aid to Pakistan must be contingent on disbandment of nuclear weapons.

6. Renegotiate all trade agreements to include fair labor minimum wage and collective bargaining, and uniform environmental laws protecting human rights and keeping a level playing field for all.
Joan Vaughn

The Economy
President Obama will need to focus on the economy right away. We are sinking fast. I hope he will be able to get funding for government jobs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Too many people are out of work. He will also need to look at ways to create green jobs by looking at clean energy, recycling, and cleaning up the environment. As Bush tries to leave even more environmental destruction in his wake, President Obama will have to find ways to undo the damage. Environmental groups will have to keep up the pressure on Congress to make environmentally sound decisions. Otherwise, the right wing will pull out all stops to obstruct progress and favor special interests like mining and offshore  drilling.
Patricia Davis Chang
Indianapolis

Economy and Environment
For now and the foreseable future, and more than ever before, the issues of the economy and the environment are undeniably and inextricably linked. A plan for the economy is now a plan for the environment and vice-versa. However, not all can yet see and understand this. There are those among us, loved ones and enemies who still do not understand that all decisions should be made with the environment in mind.  That is of course, because no decision would be possible, if the environment was not still, albeit begrudingly, supporting us all.

That being said, while you and I understand that the environment is always the foundational concern, you and President-elect Obama, must present all initiatives and all decision, FIRST as having an economic benefit, with an environmental benefit or side-effect to follow. This approach will be more palatable to those who truly care about our country, but who don’t yet recognize that it was built within the natural environment.
Ambrose Wolfinger

Improve Economic Advisors
A progressive agenda requires the right people establishing policy. Obama’s economic advisors are a major disappointment to me and took some of my excitement away. Here are my top picks for economic advisors: Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize winning economist, Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winning economist, Dean Baker and Elizabeth Warren. I wouldn’t even mind seeing them all working with the new administration.
Sandy Nolan

Solar
Solar-roofing materials implementation on a massive scale, wind turbine technology and consumer rebates for all. Zero-emissions vehicles. A good beginning would be requiring all government construction projects involving re-roofing or building new roofs on any government buildings (that includes aircraft hangars, dormitories, offices,etc) to incorporate solar roofing into their bidding process. 
Chris Bright
Daytona Beach, Florida

Solar Panels
President Obama needs to do everything possible to immediately stimulate our economy.  Part of this effort should be to create green jobs. We should start with everything but if I had to choose, I would start with a solar panel program.  Thom Hartman - progressive radio show host - says that in Germany they have such a program installing solar panels on all homes.  We should start such a program creating manufacturing and installation jobs.

In New Mexico where I live and in many other states, windmills are being installed.  Building and installing windmills would be a job-stimulating program.

A program that would not create a large amount of jobs and which would keep our food costs in line would be to produce ethanol from sugar cane which could be grown in Hawaii and the southeast.  It could even be grown in Haiti and Puerto Rico which would stimulate their economy.  I understand that sugar cane produces 3 times the ethanol of corn.  In the interim, President Obama could remove the tariff on Brazilian ethanol. I understand that hemp is a source of biodiesel but the war on drugs would no doubt put the kybosh on that.  
John Best
New Mexico

Do What FDR Did
What we need most right now is a Green Jobs program modeled on what FDR did. What cannot stand is a continued bleeding at the state and local level with all of these entities doing the opposite of what is called for in a depression. They are all cutting spending in a depression in order to balance their budgets! This is the exact opposite of what they should be doing.
Barbara Warren
Executive Director
Citizens’ Environmental Coalition

Finance
In order to create “green jobs,” companies need “green money”. In today’s challenging economic environment, financing new projects has become much more difficult. Fortunately, the Department of Energy is ramping up the loan guarantee program that was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
John C. Snedeker
Chairman & CEO
Synergistic Dynamics

Green Transport
Our auto industry. So many jobs are being lost. But I believe any money given by the federal government to boost the manufacturing of automobiles should be directly tied to retooling for the production of “green” transportation.
Nancy Short

Connect
I’d like to see movement in the creation of renewable energy jobs. The interconnectedness of energy independence, sustainable economy, national security and world order begins with American hands, hearts and minds.   
Greg Sorozan
Melrose, Massachusetts

Allow Energy Devices
Obama needs to allow the alternative energy devices that have already been invented but put on the shelf by Detroit and Big Oil to be allowed in the marketplace. Put the electric cars back on the road. The technology to get 300 miles pergallon already exists. There are free energy devices out there. Bring back the hemp mobile. There is no need to drill in Alaska or offshore in the Gulf. Let’s get away from our dependency on oil now. It can be done quickly once the oil barons are no longer in control of our government.
Karen

Stop Florida Nuke Project
He should stop the building of a new nuclear power plant here in Levy County, Florida. There already is a nuclear plant nearby at Crystal River, Citrus County, Florida
Mad Max

Credibility
He should work on his credibility with regard to “clean energy.”  Both Mr. Obama and Joe Biden (during the election) spoke at length on the virtues of moving ahead with expanding “clean” coal technology. If anything made his “green” supporters cringe during the debates, this was it! Anyone who’s been following the coal issue knows full well that there is no such thing as “clean” coal. There is a source of unlimited energy that has always been available to us, the sun. Solar technology should be the focus of our energy needs.
David Torrey

No Coal, Green Energy
The first environmental task I believe the president has is to quickly put into motion incentives to build green energy production. He should ban all new coal burning plants like the one that is being fought against by CCAN. The proposed Wise, Virginia plant uses old technology and would be one of the dirtiest of the new plants built. Dominion power is the culprit. It should be made to use the newest and cleanest technology and could possibly even receive incentives for doing so.
Bill Abbott
Free Union, Virginia

Tax Incentives and Prizes
There should be attractive tax incentives for clean energy projects, as well as for usage. There should be a grid buy back plan (I think this happened in Germany) where excess energy generated privately can be sold back to the energy grid. There should be contests with financial prizes to encourage technological breakthroughs in solar, energy storage, geothermal, wind, wave.

There also has to be a carbon tax to discourage wanton usage, which even the most avid enviromentalist is prone to lapse into. I am aware that large alternative energy public works projects will take awhile to plan and implement, which is why I suggest allowing private enterprise to begin to tackle the problem immediately via tax incentives and penalties.

I also would immediately fund research on bee health and the implementation of their rescue. How dramatic and tragic their loss would be for the earth and all its inhabitants. 
I think the climate crisis in all its myriad facets is the most critical problem on earth now. If only people could see that we are as endangered as if there were invaders from Mars threatening our globe, they would all be willing to mobilize against the enemy. Unfortunately, we have not been primed to imagine ourselves the enemy. Humanity has an autoimmune problem. It is destroying itself, and very few have an inkling of the diagnosis, let alone a determined effort to take the necessary medicine.
Marcia Slatkin

350 Parts Per Million
Tell Obama to work as hard and fast as he can to lower our carbon to 350.
Linda Schreiber
350.Org

Climate Control
President Obama’s first priority in the White House should be to rein in CO2 emissions to the levels specified by our best climate scientists. Taking the cue from James Hansen and Bill McKibben (350.org), we need to bring atmospheric CO2 levels back down to 350 ppm in order to have a stable planet.  Like David Orr, I think that climate stabilization through renewable energy will be the linchpin that begins to solve all our other problems - stimulating the economy through green-collar jobs, national and global energy security, political peace, clean air and water, and the redemption of our nation and its values in the eyes of the rest of the world.  
Lise Goddard

Go After Climate Change
Personally, I believe that Obama has the vision and administrative power to bring together the most concerted and effective effort yet for climate change. And personally I don’t think it will be hard to do. The drum has been beating for the past five to 10 years on immediate action. And because that action has yet to come, it has become a stockpile of emotions that is going to result in an avalanche. Obama understands this.  He has heard the voices out there crying for action. Because of his slow and deliberate style, as well as his ability for grassroots organization, he is going to make sure that everyone is on board and everyone is involved.  That begins with a challenge. And that challenge is a federal mandate.  Carbon neutral by 2025, or 2030, or whenever.  Build off the work that Al Gore has sought to create, and use his Nobel Speech as the template.

In my opinion, the top priority for an Obama campaign is clean energy.  The country, and the economy, are bracing for the “Green Revolution.” It will shift the paradigm of energy, of the market, of jobs. The United States can become a net exporter of energy, instead of a major importer. That will allow for growth, for revenue, for independence, and for political capital. And it is possible.  But it means creating an infrastructure that will allow for growth.  Invest in a national, if not global, energy grid that can deliver renewable energy to everyone -biofuels, wind, and solar photovoltaics. Create a mandate that all new buildings must meet LEED standards. Promote better architectural and city planning standards on a local level. I expect Apollo Alliance to be there every step of the way. 
Greg Cherry
Los Angeles

Close Plants Outside America
Michigan has a unique setting for green energy, especially the windmill.  Take a look around at the number of closed plants that would be great for building the windmills and we have a workforce unmatched in the country. I know I will sound protective, but President-elect Obama should take a long hard look at coercing the auto industry in this country to stop closing plants in America and start closing plants in other countries, building up the jobs here. The auto industry has been the backbone of the Michigan economy for many years.
Deanna Jo Porter
Stanton, Michigan

Compel the Wealthy To Invest
Let’s unite to get Congress to require the top 1 percent to 2 percent to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.  his could make America swiftly renewable energy independent and swiftly end the impending 2009 deep recession! The top 1-2 percent, pretax, earn over $1 trillion dollars yearly. Thus 20 percent of this $1 trillion dollars yearly is $200 billion dollars yearly that Congress should require them to invest in renewables! The poorest earner of this group makes pretax income over $276,000 dollars yearly thus, after a 20 percent investment requirement by Congress, they would still have over $220,800 pretax dollars left. Of the federal government’s elected officials and state governors, only the President makes more money.

In addition, the wealthiest 1-2 percent of American households have over $20 trillion dollars. Thus 1 percent on $20 trillion dollars is another $200 billion dollars yearly for investment in renewables by the most wealthy. Thus the top 1-2 percent could easily invest $400 billion dollars yearly in renewables; $200 billion dollars yearly would be from a 20% on pretax earned income of $1 trillion and another $200 billion dollars yearly would be from 1 percent on $20 trillion dollars of net worth!

Thus Al Gore’s 2008 vision of getting 100 percent of our electricity from renewables in 10 years could be easily realized because Al Gore’s plan would cost about $300 billion dollars a year. If we network to unite, the top 1-2 percent could easily be required by Congress to invest $400 billion dollars yearly in renewables.

And we could also get another $400 billion dollars yearly if Congress eventually required the next top 8- 9 percent to invest in renewables also. Thus the top 10 percent of Americans could eventually be required by Congress to invest $800 billion dollars yearly in renewable energy and energy efficiency. I promote the ideas above worldwide on my public access TV show called, “Ethical Social Networking” on www.MNN.org. My TV show is also seen simultaneously on Manhattan Cable at 7:00 AM to 7:28 AM EST weekdays from Monday to Friday. My TV show is on channel 34 of Time Warner and channel 82 of RCN. Anyone can get monthly air time on MNN by sending in a 28-minute or 58-minute mini-DV and two forms downloaded from www.MNN.org. 
David Kaufman

Just For Men
Immediate tax cuts for the middle class. Whether it passes under Bush or Obama, start them the next week. Simple reduction off their paychecks.

1. Economy and energy — I think these can be taken care of at the same time. We need a new New Deal with green energy, green transportation and infrastructure rebuilding, including bridges, sewer systems and electrical grids which work back into the green energy part. This creates non-exportable jobs, puts people back to work and brings our communities into the 21st century. Pump money into cities that already have completed plans for infrastructure rebuilding, but are just waiting for money. Portland, Oregon comes to mind. I’m sure there are more. This gets money out there immediately. Get the plans moving quickly for more projects.

2. Audit Defense. There is probably about $120 billion a year to be saved just by not letting people steal the money. Even Rumsfeld was going to do this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTwCRuwJc34&feature=related

This money will pay for the new New Deal.

3. Iraq, Afghanistan.  Get out, get in. Save more money. Invest in green tech research.

4. All the other problems.

5. Buy Just for Men to cover up all the gray hair he’ll soon have.  
Paul Kuck
Sustainable Foodservice Consulting

Buy Old Cars
The new President’s first priority has to be the economy, but that can be tackled in a way that incorporates Apollo’s principles and goals. I wanted to share with you an idea I have had for some time now; maybe there is something extremely wrong with this but I can’t figure out what it would be:

If there is to be another “economic stimulus” package, how about using a few billion dollars to buy up old, inefficient, pollution generating automobiles?  Purchase them outright and just melt them down, so they are guaranteed off the road forever.  Here in my community, it’s possible to purchase all sorts of older cars and pickups with big V-8 engines for around $1,000 to $1,500 each.

For the most part, these are owned by people who would benefit economically from not owning them anymore. It would stimulate a demand for the better autos that were left, and should trickle up through the used-car market channels to eventually result in sales of more new cars. This would all create economic activity and ultimately jobs, as also provide immediate relief from CO2 production, smog, etc.  Seems like it would do a lot more good than just giving the money to the car companies.  Maybe this would even work for old diesel trucks or inefficient farm tractors or locomotives or even ships.  I’m not sure what would give the most bang for the buck.

The downsides are that some people would certainly figure out a way to ”game” the system, turning in cars that were stolen maybe, or almost ready to die a natural death anyway. Probably would have to just accept a certain amount of that. Some administrative infrastructure would be required, but hey, that would create employment also.

Does this concept have any merit, and if so, can you get it into the hands of somebody who could polish and advance the concept? 
Kirk Lloyd
Salem, Oregon

Infrastructure
The economy and the infrastructure need to be first. With all  the finger pointing to the past about how Obama reminds us of Franklin Roosevelt, maybe he should be like Roosevelt and get an enormous public works mission moving on rebuilding the infrastructure. Getting people to work is the best stimulus our there for any economy. Paychecks equate to spending money. I

Instead of bailing out failed business and banks, we should be spending that money on retooling our aged infrastructure — roads, bridges, the grid. We need to cut off the coal and oil subsidies and change the power regulations for the country and put that money towards building wind and solar farms. Rebuilding the bridges and roadways will take training people for those jobs but they cannot be outsourced.  Retrofitting every skyscraper in the country is just one of many jobs that cannot be outsourced. Jobs, jobs, jobs. I am sure someone has thought this up but if I had the money I would open manufacturing plants that would support these industries. People would flock to jobs that have potential for growth at each level of their education.

If companies like the car industry feel that they need a hand out to keep their companies afloat, then they need to apply all their assets to creating greener vehicles. I am tired of listening to Michigan complain that retooling is so expensive. Let them listen instead. Americans want fuel economy and not more of the same old junk.

The EU has had cars that get far greater mileage out of their vehicles for more than two decades. We don’t need cars than can rocket down the road at more than 150 miles per hour. Our roads aren’t made for that kind of speed.  How about 150 miles per gallon or even better how about running on compressed air or batteries.  These technologies are over a hundred years old and they are still better for a greener world than the combustible engine.

As I see it, getting off of oil, rebuilding the infrastruture, and creating jobs can all be accomplished nearly at the same time thereby reducing our security issues. What a world it can be.
Scott Paffenroth

All The Above
The environmental issue is tied to so many other things. Converting to wind and solar power will create new jobs, which is essential for the economy. It will make us a world leader so other nations will follow. It will end dependence on foreign oil which will make us much safer from foreign powers. If we can produce energy-efficient cars, we might return to  exporting cars, instead of importing them, another factor in strengthening our economy. Also research into methods of producing hydrogen fuel cells, biofuels that don’t decrease our food supply will strengthen our economy and our world leadership. If this is done via investment by private industry, it won’t mean increased taxes.
Harriet Pearlman

Plug Ins
I would like to see the tax break for electric cars be extended to people that make electric cars and plug in hybrids. I’m so so happy about the election. Oregon now has two Democratic senators and President Obama. Wow. 
Patrick Sunpower

Energy Czar
Time for others to start carrying our tune. Our disastrous financial situation requires a new deal-like response. The global warming climate crisis demands rapid and expensive shifts to non-petroleum energy sources. Apollo (and more recently We) have the solution. Freedom from foreign oil - millions of new jobs. An energy czar that understands this will be key.  I think that must be the first order of business.

This is not going to be easy.  For people just scraping by, the idea of spending more than absolutely necessary to get from point a to point b (or to heat the house) is anathema. We need a progressive energy tax that will protect those at the bottom from disruptive energy price hikes.  And what better place to get the dough than from terminating subsidies and tax credits on the record profit-generating oilcos, and on gasoline.  I can afford to pay more for gas, and those on the bottom rung will accept it if they are getting a rebate which keeps prices the same for them. Energy prices show up in unlikely places, such as food and clothing. Rebates must protect those in need there too.
Peter Buck

Carbon Tax
1. To ease the financial strain on citizens and partly compensate for the public bailout of banks and Wall Street, a high price should be put on carbon that is emitted as CO2 by coal powered plants, somewhere around $300 a ton (the proposed price in NYS under the RGGI plan is $3.80 a ton). The revenues from this should be invested in carbon-reducing programs that include renewable energy (not ethanol), upgrading and expanding public transportation, providing low costs loans for weatherization and passive solar installations, etc. They can also be used to provide direct grants to the poor for heating costs.

2.Imposing a carbon tax, with revenues being rebated directly back to citizens to ease the cost of higher energy.

3.Preparing a universal single payer health plan that provides all citizens with the same plan, or one equal to, that of Congress.

4. Ending subsidies and tax breaks to fossil and nuclear utilities, thus putting large sums of money back into the US Treasury instead of the energy corporation pockets.

An important point: delaying programs that might cost money or be difficult political would be a terrible mistake. Implementing them now means people have several years to adjust to them and insures they will not be prominent in peoples’ minds at the time of the next election four years from now.

Another point: a stimulus package isn’t a terrible idea but there are also indirect ways of putting more money in peoples’ pockets. A universal single payer plan paid by a small increase in the federal income tax is not only fair but means wealthy people will pay more. Once poor, middle class and older people have this plan, they will have thousands of extra dollars every year to pay their bills.

Finally, now that the precedent of a government bailout and regulation has been established for Wall St., the door is open for the public to reassert their demands for a government-regulated health plan. This is not more “socialistic” than the $700 billion bailout, and people can use the bailout to show that the public interest is served by appropriate government intervention.
Lorna Salzman
www.lornasalzman.com

Kudos To Apollo
I believe so much in the leadership of the Apollo Alliance! I am active in Oregon’s Green Jobs movement and believe this concept is one way Obama could help speed up the economic recovery while at the same time creating millions of green-collar jobs.
John R Cogar
Lakeview, Oregon

Green-Collar Jobs
Van Jones has the right idea: Training those in need of work, especially inner city people, to work on green infrastructure. Retrofitting houses and insulation can begin immediately, with a relatively low capital infrastructure in terms of developing technology. There is technology for that. Solarizing homes is a very good idea. Battery storage and solarization of cars in a huge fleet of national vehicles would be a good way to reduce dependence on coal and provide storage for energy generated by solar and wind.  Figuring out how to arrange such battery give and take from the cars to the grid without gouging the customer would be grand. Removing incentives for mere pork instead of the best thinking is critical in this process. Science must prevail over greed. New faces - not vested interests, are the ones in a position to find those ideas.
Margaret Draper
Bayside, California