Building a Clean Energy Economy: The IMPACT Act

By Eric Lotke

Created 07/08/2009 - 11:17am

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Our Chance To Build The Clean Energy Economy [1]

As the battle to enact a clean energy bill moves to the Senate, there is a provision in the version of the bill that was recently approved by the House that should unite labor and environmentalists. Language in the House bill would create an economic development fund specifically designed to create jobs and manufacturing capacity in the green energy sector.

» Eric Lotke explains why we need to protect this provision in the clean energy bill [1].

» Bill Scher: Will Republicans back the climate bill? [2]

The Waxman-Markey Clean Energy and Security Act [3]squeaked through the House of Representatives late last week (219-212). Although some expressed doubts [4], many people consider the bill a terrific breakthrough [5]and important step in the right direction. But one unheralded addition to the Manager’s Amendment in the closing hours makes the bill even stronger and more important — the IMPACT [6]provision to support clean energy manufacturing in America.

Manufacturing is critical for both the American economy and our move to energy independence. America lost nearly a third [7] of its manufacturing jobs since 2000, accelerating a downward trend [8]that started in the 1980s. The production of goods represented nearly half of America’s gross domestic product in 1960, but it’s below 10 percent of GDP today. These were the rock-solid middle class jobs that built America into an economic powerhouse, and spread the prosperity to our people as a whole.