A down payment
on a greener future
It’s not all the change our environment needs, but it sure is a good start. Consider the environmental benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Obama on Feb. 17:
• A 68-million-ton reduction in the pollution that causes global warming;
• A 15-million-barrel reduction in the nation’s oil consumption each year; and
• The creation of 1.5 million green jobs.
Environment Illinois worked with our congressional delegation, including newly elected Rep. Debbie Halvorson, to strengthen the measure to these historic levels. We teamed up with our colleagues from across the country as part of our national federation, Environment America, to help increase funding for green jobs.
“The president’s recovery plan is a down payment on the transformation to a clean energy economy,” said Environment Illinois Program Director Max Muller. “This plan includes many smart investments that will help solve global warming, reduce our dependence on oil and create more jobs.”
The fight for green jobs
As Congress debated the package, Environment Illinois staff fought off repeated attempts to cut funding for clean energy and green jobs.
In the weeks before the law’s passage, thousands of online activists from Environment Illinois and other members of the Environment America federation took action to urge Congress to keep the president’s recovery plan green.
Our supporters also made contributions to help us run ads on Facebook, TheHill.com and the Washington Post online, to hold House Republican leader John Boehner accountable for his attempts to slash green job-creating provisions from the bill.
In the days leading up to the vote, Environment Illinois staff helped to coordinate a massive face-to-face persuasion effort on Capitol Hill, holding 258 meetings with members of Congress and their staff to ensure they would stand strong for a green economic recovery.
Nearly $80 billion for clean energy
Our work paid off. The final bill invests $33 billion in clean energy, $27 billion in energy efficiency, and $19 billion in green transportation, including:
• Extending and expanding “recession-proof” renewable energy incentives, which will prevent 61 million tons of global warming pollution per year and create or protect 670,000 jobs; and
• Providing $5 billion to help more than 1 million Americans weatherize their homes, a step that will prevent 2 million tons of global warming pollution and create 375,000 jobs.
Much work remains, of course. Environment Illinois will continue to work with our delegation as Congress considers a series of major energy, climate and transportation bills—which, if properly crafted and approved, will build and expand on our progress.
