Climate Capsule Week of February 16

Quote:

"Your mission is so important, and it's only going to grow as we transform the ways we produce energy and use energy for the sake of our environment, for the sake of our security, and for the sake of our economy…That's what I believe we can deliver to our children and our grandchildren in their future."

—President Obama, in remarks to the Department of Energy staff.

Economic Message of the Week

Green Buildings: Stimulus For Schools, Facilities

Last week green building advocates pushed Congress to restore slashed stimulus funding to "green" schools and federal buildings, after cash was cut in a compromise leading up to the Senate economic recovery package vote last week.

In letters to congressional leaders, green building proponents urged lawmakers to fund school modernization projects and green federal building projects at levels stipulated in the House version of the economic stimulus package, which were substantially higher than those passed by the Senate.

President Obama supports such measures. In a press conference last week, Obama addressed critics of the spending.

"When people suggest that what a waste of money to make federal buildings more energy efficient—why would that be a waste of money?" Obama said. "We're creating jobs immediately by retrofitting these buildings or weatherizing 2 million Americans' homes, as was called for in the package. So that right there creates economic stimulus, and we are saving taxpayers, when it comes to federal buildings, potentially $2 billion."

The final legislation to be signed by President Obama this week includes $4.5 billion to convert federal building to high performance green buildings. In an important first step toward supporting green schools efforts, states are allowed to use up to $10 billion for green school modernization.

Environmental education advocates also sent a letter to conferees pushing for a strong investment in green jobs through education and training. Ultimately Congress made a major investment in such programs at the Department of Labor.

The $500 million down payment will help create the education and training infrastructure to ensure we have a well-trained green workforce to implement this green economic recovery package and repower America's economy.

Contact: Patrick Fitzgerald, Senior Legislative Representative, (202) 797-6821, fitzgeraldp@nwf.org.

Bold Climate Action In Maryland, Oregon

The governors or Maryland and Oregon announced this month bold steps toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Under a new program supported by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Oregon would have one of the world's toughest greenhouse gas limits, affecting everything from industry smokestacks to car tailpipes.

Kulongoski said action to limit carbon dioxide emissions in Oregon could lead to a new, more robust economy based on environmentally friendly energy, transportation and housing.

In a similar step in the right direction, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said that his state is also poised to help shape national environmental policy by passing legislation to curb pollutants linked to global warming.

At a news conference on the lawn of the governor's mansion, Gov. O'Malley called Maryland, with its abundant shoreline, the "fourth-most-vulnerable state in America" with respect to global warming.

If global warming continues unabated, projected rising sea levels will significantly reshape the region's coastal landscape, threatening waterfowl hunting and recreational saltwater fishing in Virginia and Maryland.

National Wildlife Federation’s recent  report, Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Habitats of the Chesapeake Bay, which shows in detail the dramatic effects of sea-level rise on the nation's largest estuary, which sustains more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals including great blue herons and sea turtles.