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

  • Streaming Live at 9:00 AM – Clean Energy Forum with Secretary Salazar

    Posted by Katelyn Sabochik on November 2, 2009 at 9:33 AM EDT

    Starting at 9:00, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will host a Clean Energy Economy Forum with stakeholders from 39 States across the country. Deputy Secretary David Hayes and other top Department of Interior officials will be featured speakers at the forum, which will include a focus on the importance of renewable energy and job creation on public lands, climate impact and adaptation, and efforts to support and maintain the treasured landscapes of America in the emerging clean energy economy.

    Watch live here at WhiteHouse.gov, or watch and take part in the live chat through Facebook. The White House will be monitoring the chat, taking questions, and incorporating feedback from chat participants during the event.

     

    Katelyn Sabochik is New Media Director for the Department of the Interior

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  • The New Energy Frontier

    Posted by Secretary Ken Salazar on October 29, 2009 at 12:45 PM EDT

    On Tuesday President Obama announced the largest single power-grid modernization investment in U.S. history.  Under the Recovery Act, the Department of Energy is funding 100 grants totaling $3.4 billion to help companies, utilities and cities build a nation-wide smart grid.

    Yesterday, I was in Houston, Texas – the Energy Capital of the World - visiting CenterPoint Energy Houston. CenterPoint is a regional utility that received $200 million of this grant to spur its deployment of a smart grid to improve efficiency and help area consumers manage and control their electricity usage. Investments like this one will create jobs, save energy, and empower consumers to cut their electric bills, as I explained in this video:

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    These grants are just some of the many ways federal agencies are working together to bring about a new energy frontier.  I also announced a Memorandum of Understanding with eight other federal agencies that will expedite the siting and permitting of electric transmission projects on federal lands.

    Ken Salazar is Secretary of the Interior

     

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  • GreenGov Challenge: A Special Message from the Vice President

    Posted by Cammie Croft on October 29, 2009 at 10:10 AM EDT

    In less than 72 hours, the GreenGov Challenge will come to a close – so if you’re a federal employee or one of our brave men and women in uniform, you don’t have much time left to share your clean energy ideas and vote for your favorites.  To lead the Challenge out with a bang, Vice President Joe Biden recorded this special message just for you.  Take a look:

    Download Video: mp4 (40MB) | ()

    As the Vice President says, “We’re counting on you to help us meet our goals, to help us set the right example, and to help us make our government as clean and green as possible.“ Take the GreenGov Challenge today and help green our government!

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  • Federal Agencies Enter an Agreement Regarding Transmission Siting on Federal Lands

    Posted by Council on Environmental Quality on October 28, 2009 at 1:03 PM EDT

    Today, Obama Administration officials released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by nine Federal Departments and Agencies to make it faster and simpler to build transmission lines on Federal lands. The goal of the agreement is to speed approval of new transmission lines, reduce expense and uncertainty in the process, generate cost savings, increase accessibility to renewable energy and jump start job creation.

    The MOU has been signed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Department of the Interior.

    The agreement will cut approval time off the normal Federal permit process and help break down the barriers to siting new transmission lines by:

    • Designating a single Federal point-of-contact for all Federal authorizations;
    • Facilitating coordination and unified environmental documentation among project applicants, Federal Agencies, states, and tribes involved in the siting and permitting process;
    • Establishing clear timelines for agency review and coordination; and
    • Establishing a single consolidated environmental review and administrative record.

    Instead of applicants going to multiple agencies, a single lead agency will coordinate all permits and approvals.  The new process will keep applications on track by requiring agencies to set and meet clear deadline and improve transparency by creating a single record to be posted on line. The MOU does not alter the authority of any participating agencies, and all existing environmental reviews and safeguards are maintained fully. 

    Read the Memorandum of Understanding

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  • The Recovery Act and Clean Energy

    Posted by Secretary Hilda Solis on October 28, 2009 at 10:59 AM EDT

    Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking before more than 3,000 people at the Solar Power International 2009 conference. This crowd was energized and excited by the possibility of a clean energy economy!

    I told them we have a choice to make: we can remain one of the world's leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments needed to become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy.

    The President knows what the right choice is. That’s why he is making investments in energy efficiency and clean energy –to lead to a more prosperous economy in the future.

    Through the Recovery Act, President Obama is investing more than $80 billion in clean energy. This money is putting tens of thousands of Americans to work in developing new battery technologies for hybrid vehicles, making our homes and businesses more energy efficient, doubling our capacity to generate renewable electricity, and building a smart, strong, and secure electricity delivery system.

    The excitement about the possibilities being made through the Recovery Act was palpable. I even spoke to the leaders of several companies who are eager to hire workers trained with Recovery Act funds and to grow our economy.

    Earlier yesterday, the President also announced 100 grants totaling $3.4 billion to private companies, utilities, cities and other partners to help build a nationwide smart energy grid. These grants are expected to create tens of thousands of new jobs, and also help us make a leap forward in building a clean energy infrastructure that brings clean, reliable, low-cost energy sources to American homes and businesses.

    At the Department of Labor we are doing our part as well. In June, we announced grant competitions for $500 million in green jobs workforce training and received nearly triple the normal amount of applications.  

    I am working with Secretary Donovan to bring clean energy training to residents of public housing. The goal is to help residents take advantage of the promise of green jobs all while greening their homes and reducing their carbon footprint.

    I am also partnering with Secretary Chu to award up to $27 million, including $10 million in Recovery Act funds, for the Solar Installer Instructor Training Network which will help train over 1,400 instructors and 168,000 solar workers.

    Our goal must be a clean energy future that works for all Americans, so that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren not just a more sustainable economy, but a cleaner planet.

    I have carried this message to miners in West Virginia, solar panel manufacturers in Tennessee, auto workers in Michigan, veterans in San Antonio, and youth in East Los Angeles. The message is clear –they want to seize the opportunity of a clean energy economy.  

    America will lead the clean energy economy of tomorrow because of the work, spirit and ingenuity of those I saw and the countless others committed to a clean energy future and the good jobs it will create for everyone.

    Solar Power International Conference

    The Solar Power International 2009 Conference October 28, 2009.

     

    Hilda Solis is Secretary of Labor

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  • Streaming Live at 9:30: Clean Energy Economy Forum with Secretary Chu and Carol Browner

    Posted by Jesse Lee on October 28, 2009 at 9:41 AM EDT

    Starting at 9:30, Energy Secretary Steven Chu will host a Clean Energy Economy Forum with stakeholders from around the country. Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner and other top Administration officials will also be featured speakers at the forum, which will include a focus on science, innovation, and job creation in the emerging clean energy economy.

    Watch live here at WhiteHouse.gov, or watch and take part in the live chat through Facebook. The White House will be monitoring the chat, taking questions, and incorporating feedback from chat participants during the event. 

     
     

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