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.

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Apollo Update, 5/16/08: Renewable Tax Credit, Colorado Green Energy Progress

Legislation to renew billions of dollars in tax breaks for solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources was approved yesterday by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, by a vote of 25-12. The House proposal, which differs from the Senate version approved in early April, would extend a proposed new tax credit for ethanol fuels not produced from corn. This week, Congress approved a veto-proof version of the Farm Bill that provides $1.01 per gallon tax credit for ethanol produced from grass and waste materials.

The House Ways and Means Committee would give farmers and refiners three more years of subsidies beyond what is included in the Farm Bill. In all, the House committee measure would extend about $54 billion in expiring tax breaks for renewable energy sources, education and a number of business expenses including research and development. That’s not pocket change for clean energy.

Though the House is taking up the legislation, the deliberate pace of the Congressional work to extend existing tax credits for renewable energy is worrying executives in the utility, finance, investment, and production sectors. This week Peter Darbee, the chairman and chief executive officer of PG&E Corporation, the parent of California’s largest investor-owned utility, noted in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that “failure by Congress to renew the credits could cost the United States 100,000 jobs and billions of dollars annually in new investments.”

He added, “the tremendous spurt of innovation and development we have seen in the renewable energy sector could be squelched just when the national economy, buffeted by the housing collapse and record oil prices, needs all the support it can get.”

Here at the Apollo Alliance, we’re closely watching the Congressional deliberations on the renewable energy tax credits, and we’re involved in making the case for their extension. For next week’s Apollo Feedback, I’d like to hear from our partners and supporters who are renewable energy developers, manufacturers, installers, and workers. What do the existing renewable tax credits mean to your business? If they are not extended, what are the consequences. We’ll post responses and make sure that lawmakers in Washington see your feedback.

In other news from around Apollo, Phil Angelides, our chairman, (see pix right) was in Albuquerque this week with our Program Director Kate Gordon, to talk about clean energy and good jobs to an international summit of mayors and local government officials who are leading local and metropolitan action of climate change and sustainability. While there Phil shot over to the NPR affiliate to record an interview about green-collar jobs with Bob Garfield, host of “On The Media,” the terrific weekly news show about the news. The interview goes up on the program’s website on Saturday.

Jerome Ringo, our president (see pix left), is in Honolulu next week to keynote the Hawaii Build & Buy Green conference, accompanied by Carla Din, our western regional field director. Jerome has been relentless this year in spreading the message of the promise of the unfolding clean energy industry, and the army of well-paid workers it is employing.

And it’s a privilege and pleasure to receive all of the useful dispatches describing advances in the clean energy economy around the country. We’re posting those in our Apollo Feedback feature every week. See the archive here. One of the most informative dispatches was sent this week by Diane Mitsch Bush, the chair of the Routt County Board of Commissioners in Colorado, where Steamboat Springs is the county seat.  Diane credited Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr., a Democrat, with putting more emphasis than ever before on Developitn clean energy sources. “Renewables are now a major part of both energy, economic, and environmental programs in Colorado,” Diane wrote. “Just last week, Vestas, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer, announced that it will build its second plant in Colorado.”

“Here in rural Routt county,” she added, “we have installed 26 KW of PV panels on our new Justice Center. Now we are embarking on a larger PV array for our regional airport, which we own and operate. We are also doing a historic courthouse remodel, making the facility more energy efficient and providing jobs at the same time. “You may go to our website to see how much electricity we produce each day. I see the triple bottom line — economic, social, and environmental sustainability — as a win- win situation for American workers, their families, and all Americans.”
 
Thanks Diane. And for the rest of you, let me know what’s going on out there. Talk to you next week. 

Data Points: Investments In Clean Energy Soar

Governments, banks, and private investors around the world are furiously pumping capital into renewable energy, research and development, and clean energy manufacturing.

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