New Energy for America

The term "New Energy for America" was first used on July 28, 2004, at an event in downtown Boston that gathered leaders from labor, government, business, and the environmental community to discuss how the "new energy" economy is critical for the future. This event raised awareness for the need for renewable energy and suggested that the new energy economy is about jobs, national security, public health, and the planet left behind for future generations. In 2009, the Obama Administration made an effort to allow homeowners to finance solar and energy improvements without cost upfront, also known as PACE (Property-Assessed Clean Energy); They collaborated with the Middle Class Task Force to create a Policy Framework for PACE Financing Programs. Obama issued a pair of memoranda on January 26, 2009, to publish higher fuel economy standards for the model year 2011 cars and light trucks by the end of March and lower greenhouse gas emissions (to revisit a California waiver request that would allow that state to implement its own greenhouse gas emission rules for vehicles). In June 2014, the Clean Power Plan was proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Obama Administration. The plan hoped to fight global warming and was approved by President Obama on August 3, 2015. On July 19, 2016, the Obama Administration announced a partnership between the Clean Energy Savings For All Initiative and the Departments of Energy (DOE), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran's Affairs (V.A.), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This plan hoped to increase access to solar energy and promote energy efficiency in low-to-moderate income communities. ==Content==

The plan aimed to: These solutions were meant to help Americans through the immediate crisis when energy prices were high. • The first solution would be to provide emergency energy rebates. This would be achieved by requiring oil companies to take a share of their profits and provide relief worth $500 per individual and $1000 per couple to help families cope with the rising gas and electricity prices. • The second solution would be to enact legislation to prevent oil companies from unfairly raising prices. • The third solution would be to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Obama and Biden supported releasing oil from the reserve and replacing it with oil that would benefit Americans in the long term while lowering oil prices. Mid- to long-term solutions The New Energy for America plan offered six mid to long-term solutions. Taken together, these proposals would help resolve the issue of global climate change and ensure America became less dependent on foreign oil. • Deal with climate change by implementing a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and developing a similar global program with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). • Investing in a secure energy future, • (1) by investing $150 billion over ten years to develop 5 million new green jobs, • (2) by creating a new “Green Vet Initiative” that would help military veterans enter the new energy economy, • (3) by converting manufacturing companies into centers that would help Americans learn skills related to producing new energy products, and • (4) by directing funds to federal workplace training programs that would be centered on green technology, advanced manufacturing, and weatherization training. • Make cars, trucks, and SUVs fuel-efficient by increasing fuel economy standards by 4% every year. There would also be a greater number of fuel-efficient vehicles by giving domestic automakers $4 billion retooling tax credits and loan guarantees. Congress and auto companies would work to ensure that all new vehicles have FFV capability of running on clean alternative fuel and to establish a national Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that would introduce low-carbon non-petroleum fuels. • Promote domestic energy supply by making oil companies drill in open areas on land they already have access to - or make them sell to another company that will. America would also prioritize constructing the Alaska Gas Pipeline and getting more oil from existing oil fields within the US. • Diversify America's energy sources by • (1) requiring 10% of electricity consumed in the US to come from clean energy sources by 2012, • (2) developing and commercializing clean coal technology, and • (3) securing nuclear power and making sure waste from reactor sites is contained. • Reduce energy use and costs by • (1) implementing a program that would work to reduce electricity usage, • (2) providing more resources to the Department of Energy so they stop missing deadlines that have cost Americans millions of dollars, • (3) reducing federal energy consumption, • (4) requiring states to conduct proceedings that implement incentive changes and offer assistance to utility companies, • (5) investing in a Unified Smart Grid to better transmit and monitor energy, and lavishly funding LIHEAP so that it will give heating assistance to low-income families during the winter, and • (6) investing in repairing roads and bridges while encouraging public transportation. == Implementation ==

Though the New Energy for America plan was never fully implemented as originally announced, many parts of the plan were implemented through various later-developed acts, plans, and executive orders throughout Barack Obama’s time as president. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The first pieces of the New Energy for America plan put into action were done so through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, that was introduced to combat the effects of the Great Recession of 2008 and signed into law by President Obama. The policies implemented included $90 billion towards government investments, and tax incentives that promoted job creation and laid a solid foundation for clean energy. An additional $150 billion was leveraged in private and other non-federal capital for clean energy investments, resulting in more significant solar and wind power usage. Presidential Climate Action Plan President Barack Obama adapted further climate goals from the original New Energy for America plan into the Presidential Climate Action Plan. The Climate Action Plan, last announced in June 2013, was a series of executive programs that included regulations to cut domestic carbon emissions, to prepare the U.S. for impending effects of climate change, and to work internationally to address climate change. President Donald Trump repealed Obama's Climate Action Plan on his first day of office, asserting the plan was harmful to the economy. President Joe Biden, rescinded the Trump plan on his first day of office, and restored the Presidential Climate Action Plan. Recorded Impact On June 29, 2017, the center-left think tank Center for American Progress released a study on the changes in U.S. energy usage climate impact between 2008 and 2016. The study found: • Energy reliance on coal went down over 18%, changing the dominant source of U.S. electric supply from coal to natural gas. • Renewable energy grew significantly Between 2008 and 2016, led by solar and wind power. • There was significant job creation from improvements in energy efficiency and clean energy production. ==See also==