IPLog

The First Green Presidential Administration?

We at Interfaith Power & Light congratulate President-elect Obama for last week’s campaign victory and are hopeful about his promises to make climate a priority in his administration. There has been a lot of talk both positive and negative about this new presidency being the first green presidential administration. There are some who would argue that his environmental policies should be put on the back burner until the economy is improving again.

We disagree. We believe that protecting Creation can’t wait. We also think that fixing the economy and transitioning to a green economy go hand and hand.

Grist reports via Obama’s top aides that the White House will waste no time making climate a high priority, establishing a ban on meat and a 10 p.m. lights-out curfew, among other restrictions, in the first 100 days.  Where’s the plan to require every citizen to spend an hour a week on an energy-generating bicycle at a designated city building?

On a serious note, let’s review the actual details of the plan to tackle climate change that he pitched during his marathon campaign for President. The mid to long-term solutions include:

• Implement cap and trade program to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, requiring all pollution credits to be auctioned.
• Make the U.S. a leader on climate change: re-engaging with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, and invigorating the Major Economies (MEM) effort to bring all the major emitting nations together.
• Create 5 million new green jobs. In this plan will be a Green Vet Initiative (giving veterans the ability to enter green industries), converting manufacturing centers into  clean technology leaders, and creating new job training programs.
• Make cars, trucks, and SUV’s fuel efficient, by increasing fuel efficiency standards, putting 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road, partnering with domestic automakers, mandating flex fuel vehicles, developing the next generation of  sustainable biofuels and infrastructure, and establishing a low carbon fuel standard.
• Diversifying energy sources, requiring 10% of electricity come from renewable sources by 2012.
• Commitment to efficiency, the “cheapest, cleanest, energy source,” with the goal for 15 percent less energy demand by 2020, saving $130 billion, reducing carbon emission by more than 5 billion tons through 2030, and jobs creation.

These solutions are a great start, and we want to hold the Obama administration accountable to these goals. We would also like to ask him to take these goals even further, like focusing on wind and solar energy instead of nuclear, putting a moratorium on any new coal operations, and ramping up efforts to ensure that no further warming occurs beyond 2º F.

We are currently drafting a petition that will be circulated widely among people of faith and delivered to President-elect Obama early in 2009

Here’s the important part: We want your input as draft the message.

Post your comments on what policies you think should be included in the letter.

Vote in our online poll on what you think should really be emphasized.