New Energy for America was a plan led by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden beginning in 2008 to invest in renewable energy sources, reduce reliance on foreign oil, address global warming issues, and create jobs for Americans. The main objective of the New Energy for America plan was to implement clean energy sources in the United States to switch from nonrenewable resources to renewable resources. The plan led by the Obama Administration aimed to implement short-term solutions to provide immediate relief from pain at the pump, and mid- to- long-term solutions to provide a New Energy for America plan. The goals of the clean energy plan hoped to: invest in renewable technologies that will boost domestic manufacturing and increase homegrown energy, invest in training for workers of clean technologies, strengthen the middle class, and help the economy.
History 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. The plan was presented by Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008. President Barack Obama, in his inaugural address called for the expanded use of renewable energy to meet the twin challenges of energy security and climate change. 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:
Help create five million new jobs by investing $150 billion over the next ten years to encourage private efforts to develop clean energy sources and technology. Save more oil than the United States currently imports from the Middle East and Venezuela combined within 10 years. Put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015, with emphasis on cars built in the United States. Generate 10 percent of the United States' electricity through renewable sources (renewable electricity) by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025. Implement a cap-and-trade program to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Short-term solutions The New Energy for America plan offered three short-term solutions. 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.
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