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

  • President Obama on Government and Economic Recovery in Nevada

    Posted by Jesse Lee on July 9, 2010 at 1:59 PM EST

    Following up on his tour of Smith Electric’s new factory in Kansas City yesterday – an all-electric, zero emissions commercial truck manufacturer that received a $32 million Recovery Act grant – the President spoke today at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on the nexus of government, the emerging clean energy economy, and recovery:

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  • From Sand to Solar

    Posted by Secretary Steven Chu on July 8, 2010 at 4:28 PM EST

    Energy investors and entrepreneurs often refer to the period between technologies being developed in the lab and making their way to the marketplace as a "valley of death" due to the multitude of factors that can prevent those advancements from reaching the consumer. Today, just miles from the real Death Valley in Nevada, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and I announced a venture that will help promising solar technologies make that journey to the market. The Nevada Test site, which was once used to test nuclear weapons, will now be dedicated to testing new solar technologies that will help put America on a sustainable energy path.

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  • Going Green in Denver

    Posted by Secretary Hilda Solis on July 8, 2010 at 2:44 PM EST

    If you want to get a glimpse of the future, talk to Riki Escamilla.

    This super-energetic Denver woman has big dreams for a “prosperous future for me, and my family.” I have no doubt she’ll get there.

    Riki is participating in the Denver Green Jobs Initiative, a terrific program that provides free green jobs training to the unemployed, underemployed, veterans, women, and minorities. Its goal is simple: create a career path in high-growth green industries including solar energy technology, green construction, energy efficiency and weatherization, and green job administration and sales.

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  • Smith Electric Just One Example of Innovation in Kansas City

    Posted by Matt Rogers on July 8, 2010 at 2:02 PM EST

    Read the Transcript  |  Download Video: mp4 (130MB) | mp3 (13MB)

    Today, President Obama spoke with workers at Smith Electric’s new factory in Kansas City. Missouri. With a $32 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act coupled with $36 million in private capital, the electric vehicle company is building up to 500 all-electric trucks. 

    While he was there, the President also had the pleasure of announcing the company was hiring its 50th worker at the plant. By September, that number is expected to grow to 70, and at the project’s peak, Smith tells us the project will create more than 220 direct and indirect jobs.  As the President said:

    [T]he reason I’m here today is because, at this plant, you’re doing more than just building new vehicles.  You are helping to fight our way through a vicious recession and you are building the economy of America’s future.

    The story of Smith’s factory shows the direct and measurable impact of the Recovery Act. Smith’s factory is re-purposing an 80,000 sq. ft. jet engine overhaul facility at the Kansas City International Airport, a space that was not being utilized or creating jobs is now a fully operational plant.

    President Barack Obama Looks at Rechargeable Batteries at Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City

    President Barack Obama talks with Dennis Hartman, center, CEO Bryan Hansel and Operations Manager Bob Lucas as they look at rechargeable batteries during a tour of Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City, Missouri, July 8, 2010. Smith Electric Vehicles is an all-electric, zero emissions commercial truck manufacturer that received a $32 million Recovery Act grant to build all-electric trucks. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

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  • Solar and Smart Grid: Powering a Clean Energy Future

    Posted by Nancy Sutley on July 7, 2010 at 3:24 PM EST

    Occasionally, I get the chance to see some of the work underway in communities across the country that will help to propel the United States toward a thriving clean-energy economy. Yesterday was one of those days in the clean tech hub of Silicon Valley, California, where I toured Nanosolar, Cisco Systems, and SunPower - companies on the forefront of solar and smart-grid technology.

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  • Weatherizing 82,000 Homes This Summer

    Posted by Cathy Zoi on July 7, 2010 at 9:53 AM EST

    Picture a neighborhood block somewhere in your town.  It might have single-story homes for 10 families -- complete with front porches, sidewalks and green lawns. Or instead that block might have a single apartment building that houses 50 families over five floors.  What we know is that each of the families -- whether they're living in a detached house or a mid-rise apartment --  pays away some of their hard-earned dollars to pay for energy.  And for many low-income Americans, these energy bills absorb a significant amount of the family income. 

    Now imagine that teams of trained experts come down that block and install measures to help those families save energy.  Insulation, caulking, weatherstripping, windows, better furnaces or water heaters.  So families' energy bills go down and their comfort goes up.  We call this 'weatherization' -- and it's happening in more than 82,000 homes as part of the Recovery Summer. 

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