Obama Ushers In Environmentally - Friendly Era

President Obama has proved during his first month in office that his environmental policies are radically different than those of his predecessor.

During President Obama’s election night victory speech he promised, “We cannot go back to the old way of doing things.” In his inaugural address, Obama mentioned the importance of renewable energy, declaring that “we will harness the sun and winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.” He also mentioned building new “electrical grids and digital lines.” (CSmonitor)

Although he has only been in office a month, he has proved his environmental policies are radically different from his predecessor. Just one week after taking office Obama signed two presidential directives which could put cleaner, more fuel efficient American cars on the road. One of the directives instructed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider whether California and other states be granted waivers in order to enact stricter tailpipe emissions standards. The other directive ordered the Transportation Department to issue new fuel efficiency guidelines.

After signing the presidential directives, Obama said that a new era is upon us in the U.S. where “ideology will no longer trump sound science.”

This week has brought us more good news about Obama’s environmental policies. On Monday the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Governing Council announced the U.S. backed a global treaty to control mercury pollution. “The Obama administration has clearly shown a new day has dawned for U.S. leadership and engagement with the rest of the world,” said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project.

A day later, the EPA announced it will consider regulating carbon emissions from coal-fried plants, a possibility the Bush administration shunned in December. EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson made the announcement in response to a Sierra Club petition concerning a permit for a Bonanza, Utah coal plant.

“It couldn't be a bigger turnaround from what the Bush administration tried to force on them at the last minute,” said Josh Dorner, a Sierra Club spokesman.
"Today's victory is yet another indication that change really has come to Washington, and to EPA in particular," said Sierra Club member, David Bookbinder. (Redorbit.com)

The same day as the EPA’s announcement, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, a $787 billion economic stimulus package. The great news for environmentalists is that there is almost $79 billion for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and public transportation.

A New York Times editorial characterized the $79 billion as a “useful down payment, which could also help reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign oil.”

“Retrofitting America would be one smart thing for Obama to do,” Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy, told the HTML Times a few weeks ago. Van Jones also said that committing to renewable energy and investing in mass transportation is important.

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