green jobs

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The Sad Death of Green Tech
 The Sad Death of Green Tech 
David Brooks

The Sad Death of Green Tech

David Brooks laments the fall of the bipartisan green revolution

(Newser) - Back in 2003, green technology looked like the future, and a bipartisan consensus was forming around it. David Brooks recalls getting a ride in Prius from a conservative foreign policy hawk, who touted it as an antidote to foreign oil dependency. "From that date on, the story begins to...

What's a 'Green Job'? Oil Lobbyist, Garbage Man

Darrell Issa gets Obama official to admit they're counting generously

(Newser) - What does the Obama administration mean when it talks about "green jobs"? Apparently a lot more than you probably thought. Darrell Issa held a hearing on labor statistics yesterday in which he picked apart the administration's definition of that term, getting Acting Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner...

Another US-Backed Energy Company Goes Bankrupt

Beacon Power adds to Obama administration's post-Solyndra woes

(Newser) - More potential trouble for the Obama administration: On the heels of Solyndra, another federally-backed power company has gone bankrupt. A year ago, Beacon Power received a $43 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, Reuters reports. The company drew down $39 million of that loan for a $69 million...

Environmental Strategy of GOP: 'Too Dirty to Fail'

They protect polluters on the false pretext of saving jobs: EPA chief

(Newser) - House Republicans claim that to create jobs, we need to loosen environmental regulations. To that end, they’ve “averaged roughly a vote every day” in session to weaken the rules—and have already cut back the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other laws, writes EPA chief...

Green Jobs Program Coming Up Short on Jobs

Loans producing a lot fewer jobs than advertised

(Newser) - President Obama’s “green jobs” loan program—which recently grabbed the spotlight thanks to Solyndra's collapse —isn’t producing anything close to the 65,000 jobs promised, at least not directly. The program has already lent out half of the $38.6 billion allotted to it, but...

Solar Firm Touted by Obama Goes Belly-Up

...leaving Uncle Sam on the hook for $535M

(Newser) - One of the showpieces for President Obama’s green jobs push is going under—and leaving the federal government on the hook for $535 million worth of guaranteed loans in the process. Solyndra, a California-based solar cell manufacturer, told workers yesterday that it would be closing its remaining plant, laying...

Obama Plans Jobs Push Amid Health Care Delays

President expects debate to stretch into February

(Newser) - Barack Obama wants to switch gears and focus on jobs, energy, and deficit reduction, but he’s being hamstrung by a health care debate that he expects to stretch into February. Obama’s been told that disputes, particularly over abortion, will delay the eventual health care deal between the House...

Many Jobs Are Gone Forever
 Many Jobs Are Gone Forever 
ANALYSIS

Many Jobs Are Gone Forever

Employment picture likely to remain grim for years, and predicting winning industries is a challenge

(Newser) - The job market is likely to be grim for years to come—economists expect that even if job creation returned to the brisk pace of the ‘90s, unemployment wouldn’t return to 5% until 2017. And for many of the unemployed, the numbers belie the real problem: The positions...

Obama Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy

(Newser) - Obama environmental adviser Van Jones is resigning amid controversy over past inflammatory statements. The so-called green jobs czar got into hot water this week when two things surfaced: He called Republicans "assholes" in a video made before he joined the administration, and he signed a petition supporting the "...

Obama Official Regrets Signing 9/11 Conspiracy Petition

Jones also sorry for crude reference to GOP

(Newser) - Lately, Van Jones has had a lot of apologizing to do. Obama’s green jobs czar issued a statement yesterday renouncing a statement he signed on 911Truth.org, which demanded an “immediate inquiry into evidence that suggests high-level government officials may have deliberately allowed the September 11th attacks to...

Calif. Program Trains 'Green Collar' Workers

Pioneering initiative's grads tackle both pollution and poverty

(Newser) - The first waves of graduates from California's pioneering "green collar" training program are ready to put their new skills to work reducing the state's carbon footprint, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The trainees, including ex-cons and low-income residents, have finished an extensive course in construction skills to equip them...

Obama's Earth Day Pitch: 'New Energy Economy'

America must choose a 'new energy economy,' he says

(Newser) - President Obama returned to Iowa—his crucial campaign battleground win—for Earth Day, hailing the “new, clean energy economy” and unveiling an offshore wind project. “It is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration,” he...

House Dems Debut $825B Stimulus Bill

Public works, education get plenty of attention in measure

(Newser) - House Democrats today introduced a long-awaited stimulus package, developed with President-elect Obama, and totaling $825 billion, the New York Times reports. The economic recovery plan includes billions in tax cuts, Medicare subsidies, and public-education and infrastructure spending. The Senate is developing its own version, and vigorous debate is anticipated as...

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