WASHINGTON (January 30, 2018) –President Trump’s first State of the Union tonight is set to remind Americans how his administration is actively ignoring the millions of Americans that work in solar, wind, energy efficiency, efficient vehicles and many other industries which are on the cutting edge of innovation.
Below is a statement from Grant Carlisle, E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) director of advocacy, on what to expect from tonight’s speech:
Overall:
“Tonight, instead of touting America’s fastest-growing jobs sector and the more than 3 million Americans currently working in it, we expect President Trump to highlight how his administration is actively working to turn back the clock on clean energy progress.”
On Energy & Environment:
“We predict to see a continuation of Trump’s ‘energy dominance’ vision that treats advancing fossil fuels as the only way to advance America’s energy future while further polluting our environment.
“Ignoring clean energy means not taking America’s economy forward. But not only will clean energy likely fail to garner even a mention from the President tonight, we are expecting to be reminded how this administration actively worked against it during its first year—including a major tax bill that actually raised taxes on clean energy businesses; a trade policy that blindly hurts job growth for US solar companies; and a rollback on emissions limits that will cost hundreds of thousands American jobs and billions in lost GDP.”
On Infrastructure & Transportation
“The scarce details we do have point to an approach that emphasizes public-private partnerships and sacrifices environmental and other protections for speed. And while this administration attempts to roll back fuel economy standards, we predict to hear nothing on expanded infrastructure for electric vehicles or ways to encourage a sustainable – and more affordable – transportation network.”
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 fastest-growing U.S. job (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.