Obama Budget Delivers the Green for America

Media Contacts

Environment America

 

America can start to transition to a clean energy economy, stop global warming and protect the environment with funding from President Obama’s proposed federal budget for 2010, according to a report released today by Environment America.

“President Obama’s budget means a cleaner, greener, and more prosperous future for America,” said Rob McCulloch for Environment America.

The report, Vision 2010: President Obama’s Budget, Clean Energy and the Environment, contains estimates and state by state maps, of the impacts of the president’s proposed Fiscal Year 2010 federal budget on transitioning to a clean energy economy by requiring global warming polluters to pay, cleaning up toxic waste, preventing water pollution.

Environment America presented maps illustrating how the environmental benefits in President Obama’s budget could be distributed over the 50 states.  The maps show:

  • The $646 billion over 10 years in revenues from making polluters pay for global warming pollution, distributed by population;
  • The locations of clean energy businesses that could benefit from the budget’s $150 billion in funding for renewable energy such as wind and solar;
  • The 153 Superfund sites that pose an imminent threat to communities and the environment that could be cleaned up with the $17.2 billion in revenues over 10 years from reinstating the polluter pays fee;
  • The more than 2,500 sewage treatment plants that exceeded their Clean Water Act permits in 2005 and could make repairs and upgrades from the $2.4 billion in clean water funding in the budget, 
  • The per-state savings from eliminating $30 billion in subsidies for Big Oil.

By assuming revenues from capping global warming pollution, the president’s proposed budget sets the stage for a new energy plan for America that caps global warming pollution and drives the transformation to a clean energy economy. The latest global warming science means even deeper cuts in pollution in the next 10 years than the ones in the president’s budget will be required to prevent the catastrophic warming. 

“We know that capping global warming pollution and ensuring that polluters pay is the right move for our environment and our economy but even this first step will face roadblocks from Big Oil and other polluting interests,” said McCulloch 

“As we approach Earth Day, Congress needs to hear from clean energy entrepreneurs, mayors and mothers, and everyone who agrees that the time to transition to a clean energy economy, protect our environment and stop global warming is now,” concluded McCulloch.