WASHINGTON (January 30, 2018) – President Trump’s first State of the Union tonight confirmed his administration’s fossil fuel-exclusive vision of US energy and ignored the millions of Americans who work in clean energy industries to the detriment of the economy. Not once during the entire speech did the president mention the solar, wind, energy efficiency, geothermal, or advanced transportation industries.
Statement from executive director of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) Bob Keefe
“Trump’s single-minded vision on energy was on full display tonight. Not only has there never been a war on American energy, it is his administration’s actions that are threatening energy production.
“America has always been an energy prosperous nation exporting all kinds of energy and technology across the globe. But it will be the President’s recent decision to levy harmful tariffs on solar equipment and pass a tax bill with provisions targeting wind and solar projects that will result in less clean energy being produced at home.
“3 million workers may have received bonuses from Trump’s tax cut, but he recklessly ignored the 3 million more American jobs in the solar, wind, energy efficiency, and efficient vehicle industries that are threatened by the same bill. It’s clear Trump’s ‘energy dominance’ vision has a massive blind spot for clean energy, and that’s a risk for our economy in 2018.”
Background & Resources:
Clean Energy Jobs
- Clean energy employs over 3 million Americans, including 374,000 in solar and 101,000 in wind (E2: Clean Jobs America)
- Solar energy installers and wind technicians are expected to be the two fastest-growing U.S. jobs (Department of Labor Biennial Employment Projections 2016-2026)
- Clean energy jobs outnumber jobs in fossil fuels 2.5 to 1, and those in coal and gas 5 to 1 (Department of Energy)
- On average, about 11 percent of workers in wind, solar, and energy efficiency are veterans (Department of Energy)
Trump Energy Policy
- Rolling back Clean Power Plan would cost America up to 560,000 jobs and $52 billion in lost GDP (E2: How Rolling Back the Clean Power Plan Hurts America’s Economy)
- Nearly 400 clean energy business leaders sign letter to President Trump urging rejection of solar tariffs (E2)
- 371 clean energy business leaders and investors sign letter to Congress urging support of federal clean energy tax provisions (E2)
- Solar business leaders react to solar tariff decision (E2)
To connect with E2 members and clean energy business leaders on the ground about Trump’s State of the Union, please contact Michael Timberlake at (202) 289-2407 or [email protected].
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Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and manage more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on Twitter at @e2org.