Energy, Climate Change,
and Our Environment

The President has taken unprecedented action to build the foundation for a clean energy economy, tackle the issue of climate change, and protect our environment.

Energy and Environment Latest News

  • Promoting Equal Pay, Green Jobs, and Workplace Flexibility

    Posted by Sara Manzano-Diaz on March 15, 2011 at 4:46 PM EST

    The United States is in the midst of exciting times and so is the Women’s Bureau.  The Bureau, which is a part of the U. S. Department of Labor, is the only federal agency exclusively mandated to serve and promote the interests of women in the workplace.  We have 90 years of experience working specifically to expand opportunities for women so they can achieve economic security.   Right now, we are in a unique position to promote and participate in the progress being made on behalf of women and to respond to the dynamic changes taking place in the labor market.

    At the Women’s Bureau, we believe that economic security issues affect all of us.  Under the leadership of Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, the Women’s Bureau has focused on four critical areas: equal pay, higher paying jobs for women, workplace flexibility and the plight of homeless women veterans.  We are working with leaders from the private sector, non-profits, educational institutions and other government agencies to develop innovative ideas.  We are also working to expand our programs and initiatives and to enhance, support and coordinate existing programs for women and girls to better address the challenges in today’s workforce.

    Our work on these important issues is aligned with and builds on the findings and focus of the report: “Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being” created for The White House Council on Women and Girls. 

    The report indicates that today, while America’s 72 million working women provide a larger share of a family’s earnings, they are still paid less than men for the same or similar work.  Women also hold fewer high paying jobs and have less workplace flexibility even though they hold more high level degrees.  While we have made progress, we still have a long way to go. [To read the Women in America Employment Factsheet, click here.]

    The Women’s Bureau is actively supporting changes in workplace policy that will accommodate both family responsibilities and successful job performance. We have formed working partnerships to help the over 7,000 homeless women veterans with housing, employment and health care.  The Women’s Bureau has hosted 30 national roundtables, 16 regional Economic Stimulus Forums, workshops, and other events to address financial and workplace challenges faced by women and to develop strategies to support economic recovery in these harsh economic times. 

    Working with partners we have facilitated a financial literacy overview, contracted job training programs and provided resources to guide young women into higher paying jobs, particularly Green and STEM jobs that are rapidly becoming a significant economic driver in the United States. In an effort to get women into the green economy, the Women’s Bureau held nine pilot programs, seven teleconference informational calls, and will be issuing a guide on green jobs to assist women in transition.

    We have made great strides, but we have more work to do.  We know that women’s economic empowerment is essential for the economic security of the country.

    Sara Manzano-Diaz is the Director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau

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  • i6 Green and What it Means for America's Innovation Economy

    Posted by John Fernandez on March 15, 2011 at 10:55 AM EST

    President Obama has given us a strong vision of what it’s going to take to win the future – that’s by out-innovating, out-educating and out-building the rest of the world. In order to realize that vision, America must keep up with the pace of technological advances that are greatly impacting the global economy. The truth is that in the 21st Century, world economies are trying to do more with limited resources, and part of that ultimately means we can not have an energy sector that is rooted in the infrastructure of the past.

    The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) realizes that investments in clean technology can help to ensure that these new energy tools enable an America that is as economically sustainable as it is environmentally sustainable. 

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  • Automotive Accessibility and Efficiency Meet in the Innovative MV-1

    Posted by Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman on March 11, 2011 at 5:36 PM EST

    Editor's note: This was originally posted on the Department of Energy blog.

    Yesterday, the Department of Energy announced that we’ve now finalized a loan for nearly $50 million to the Vehicle Production Group – or VPG. The project will support the development and manufacturing of a new wheelchair accessible, fuel-efficient car, the MV-1, that will run on compressed natural gas instead of gasoline, produce low emissions, and create 900 jobs across the country.

    This new American car company focuses on helping those with mobility issues by developing vehicles that allow them to travel comfortably and safely. The MV-1 vehicle was designed from the ground-up for wheelchair accessibility. It will provide new opportunities and more independence for Americans who use wheelchairs, while also reducing carbon pollution and supporting America’s automotive industry. This project supports the Administration’s commitment to supporting innovation and American ingenuity while improving the quality of life for Americans who use wheelchairs.

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  • The President's Press Conference: The Causes, Government Response, and Long-Term Solutions to Rising Gas Prices

    Posted by Jesse Lee on March 11, 2011 at 3:17 PM EST

    From the tragedy in Japan, to turmoil in Libya and the related rising gas prices here at home, to the ongoing debate over the government’s budget, there was a great deal for the President to discuss during his press conference this afternoon. 

    During his opening remarks, though, he began with the earthquake that struck Japan and the tsunamis that resulted, explaining that US assistance is already en route, and that while there hasn’t been major damage to the US or its territories so far, FEMA is taking the situation very seriously. 

    Today’s events remind us of just how fragile life can be.  Our hearts go out to our friends in Japan and across the region and we’re going to stand with them as they recover and rebuild from this tragedy.

    The President used the rest of his opening remarks before taking questions to discuss rising gas prices, which are a concern for virtually every family and business in the country.  He touched on the causes of the rise, ranging from world-wide economic recovery that has driven up demand and therefore prices, to the recent jolt resulting from the unrest in the Middle East and Libya.  He also touched on what is not causing the rise in prices, namely the fiction that his Administration has choked off oil production – as he noted, and as this White House fact sheet (pdf) explains in detail, our oil production reached its highest level in seven years last year and oil production from federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico reached an all-time high – “So any notion that my administration has shut down oil production might make for a good political sound bite, but it doesn’t match up with reality.”

    President Obama Takes Questions at a Press Conference

    President Barack Obama answers questions from the media during a news conference in the South Court Auditorium of the White House, March 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

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  • America’s Great Outdoors Youth Chat with Sec. Vilsack and Sec. Salazar

    Posted by Tim Fullerton on March 11, 2011 at 12:26 PM EST

    Ed. Note: Cross-posted from the America's Great Outdoors blog.

    Last month President Obama announced the final report of his America’s Great Outdoors initiative, featuring young Americans who are excited about conservation and ready to get involved in the outdoors. Your suggestions were clear. You want the outdoors to be relevant and accessible to everyone. You want jobs and more opportunities to learn in the outdoors. But most importantly, you want to help make it happen. Now, we want to keep the conversation going.

    Please join us on Thursday March 17th at 2:00 p.m. EST as Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar answer your questions live at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

    Submit your questions in advance on the YouthGO YouTube or send them to YouthGO@ios.doi.gov.

    You can also submit questions live via the White House Facebook app.

    With the release of the America’s Great Outdoors report we mark a new beginning in our efforts to reconnect our nation’s young people to the natural places that define our country and fuel our spirit of adventure. Our nation’s youth have spoken. Now it’s up to us to listen to what you’ve said.

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  • A New Energy Future for Our Country and Our Armed Forces

    Posted by Secretary Ray Mabus on March 9, 2011 at 10:08 AM EST

    One of the central questions yet to be answered in energy technology is how to store energy from alternative sources like solar or wind that don’t always produce power when we need it.  For the Navy and Marine Corps, this is particularly important, as we move toward our established goal of at least 50% non-fossil fuel use by 2020.

    Because just like in the commercial world, the steady march of technology has created a voracious appetite for ever-increasing amounts of energy.  A Marine platoon in Vietnam took two or three radios on patrol, now a single squad in Afghanistan takes over ten.

    Last week at the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Innovation Summit, I announced two new joint energy initiatives between DoD and ARPA-E to begin research and development of technology to answer this energy storage question, technology that once developed, will move us a step closer to a new energy future and a new clean energy economy for the United States.

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