The Recovery Act Blog

  • Revitalizing American Manufacturing

    Posted by Secretary Steven Chu on September 13, 2010 at 5:39 PM EDT

    Ed. Note: Cross posted from the Energy Blog.

    Some people think our economy can run on white collar and service jobs alone, but they are wrong.  We can and must make high quality products in America.  We are on the verge of a new Industrial Revolution and I believe it will revolve around the greatest untapped opportunity of our time, clean energy. China and Europe see this opportunity and they are already moving aggressively to be at the forefront of it. It is time for America to get into the clean energy race and play to win -- and that is exactly what A123 Systems is doing in Michigan.

    At a difficult time for America’s workers and businesses, A123 Systems is leading the way to a brighter future. It is building factories in Livonia, Romulus, and Brownstown. It has already has hired 200 local workers since last August and it expects to hire more than 3,000 people by 2012. Today marks an important milestone for A123 Systems, as they open largest lithium-ion automotive battery production facility in North America. This will help make sure the cars of the future are built right here in America.

    This particular project is important because it has managed to link innovation in America to manufacturing in America, an essential connection that has been neglected in recent years.

    We are – and have long been – the world leader in innovation. To give just a few examples from the last century: we created the laser, the solar cell, the transistor, and GPS technology. Historically, we’ve also been a powerhouse in manufacturing. But where are high tech products made today? They are largely manufactured in Asia.

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  • On the Road to Recovery – Manchester, New Hampshire

    Posted by Annie Maxwell on August 27, 2010 at 5:29 PM EDT

    Yesterday the Vice President traveled to Manchester, New Hampshire to mark the weatherization of 200,000 homes under the Recovery Act.  Across the country, thousands of construction workers are on the job making homes and office buildings more energy efficient.  This is done in simple ways like adding insulation, replacing windows and doors, and sealing up cracks in your home where air can leak out. This program reduces energy consumption, saves homeowners money, and creates jobs.

    The Vice President made the announcement in the backyard of Lynn Dumont, a local Manchester resident who is in the process of having her home weatherized. Lynn’s story provides a great opportunity to see what this program is all about.

    Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Lynn Dumont's back yard

    Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Lynn Dumont's back yard about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's weatherization program, in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Vice President was announcing that 200,000 homes have been weatherized under the program. August 26, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

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  • 200,000 Homes Weatherized Under the Recovery Act

    Posted by Andy Oare on August 26, 2010 at 5:26 PM EDT

    Ed. Note: Cross posted from the Energy Blog

    Today Vice President Biden announced that 200,000 homes have been weatherized under the Recovery Act. Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shares her thoughts:

    We're still talking about weatherization on Facebook and Twitter. Ask questions, share your thoughts and we’ll follow-up with tips and answers from our experts in the coming days.

    Andy Oare is a New Media Specialist at the Department of Energy

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  • The Facts on the Recovery Act & American Innovation

    Posted by Liz Oxhorn on August 26, 2010 at 1:12 PM EDT

    Earlier this week, Vice President Biden unveiled a new report detailing how the Recovery Act is investing $100 billion in groundbreaking scientific research and advances in technology.  The report focuses on how Recovery Act investments in modernizing transportation, jumpstarting the renewable energy sector, advancing medical research, and building a platform to enhance the private sector’s ability to innovate have helped put America on-track to achieve some major science and technology breakthroughs.  You can read more about those efforts in Time Magazine this week, which calls the Recovery Act "the most ambitious energy legislation in history," and also looks at key investments in broadband, high-speed rail, science and tech, education, and health IT.  As the Time article points out, "Any of those programs would have been a revolution in its own right." 

    While getting up to speed on the report, you may also come across a “fact-check” story the Associated Press is running on it.  Unfortunately, the only thing AP’s “fact check” seems to be missing is… the full facts.  Here’s the scoop:

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  • An Increasingly Awkward Dance

    Posted by Jared Bernstein on August 25, 2010 at 4:09 PM EDT

    Ever since the Recovery Act passed last February, Congressional Republicans who opposed this economic rescue plan have had to do an awkward dance around the truth.  After all, when you declare from the beginning that the Recovery Act won’t create a single job, you’re going to be forced to do a little two-step around the facts as week after week leading economists, the nation’s governors, and even your own constituents say otherwise.

    But yesterday, when Representative Boehner declared that “all this ‘stimulus’ spending has gotten us nowhere” on the same day the nonpartisan CBO said the program has created or saved as many as 3.3 million jobs nationwide and his own home state’s Department of Transportation said nearly 9,500 construction workers were on the job in July just on Ohio Recovery Act transportation projects alone… well, let’s just say that dance got a little more… awkward.   

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  • Reducing Energy Costs while Creating Green Jobs for Americans

    Posted by Secretary Shaun Donovan on August 20, 2010 at 5:14 PM EDT

    The Recovery Act is making a long-term impact on American families and communities by reducing energy costs, creating green jobs and improving the quality of life for people across the country.  That’s why on Thursday, I was proud to announce a major Recovery Act milestone for HUD and the Administration. Through HUD’s Green Retrofit Program for Multifamily Housing, which the Recovery Act created for the first time, we’ve been able to award more than $100 million to 100 affordable housing developments around the country to complete energy efficient renovations, and HUD will continue to issue the awards from now through September 30, 2010. 

    The 100 affordable housing developments receiving HUD funding include over 8,000 homes, and HUD anticipates that the awards will allow tenants will save over $250 each on utility bills annually.

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