Earth Equity News

Obama Emphasizes Green Jobs in Economic Recovery Plan. By Christi Parsons, LATimes, November 23, 2008."President-elect Barack Obama signaled Saturday that he would quickly seek a sweeping economic recovery plan likely to exceed the $175-billion price tag of the plan he unveiled during the campaign. A 'crisis of historic proportions' is gripping the nation, Obama said, and it calls for 'a plan big enough to meet the challenges we face.' Obama has asked his economic team to craft a plan to create 2.5 million jobs over the next two years, including some in the field of alternative energy. His original plan was for one year. The president-elect wants quick congressional approval so that he can sign legislation soon after taking office... Another addition is investment in green technology. Obama has long talked about creating 5 million jobs by putting $150 billion into alternative energy, but not as part of his rescue plan. 'We'll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels; fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead,' he said."