Apollo Alliance Aims for Energy Independence

The Apollo Alliance, a unique coalition of labor, environmental, civil rights, business, and political leaders, has announced its vision of achieving energy independence in ten years. According to a study released by the Apollo Alliance in January, a $300 billion federal investment in renewable energy and green buildings over ten years would create 3.3 million new high-wage jobs, more than paying for itself through increased federal tax revenues from higher earnings; stimulate $1.4 trillion in new gross domestic product; and produce $284 billion in net energy cost savings. Dr. Ray Perryman, a corporate economist who prepared an economic analysis of the proposal, showed that the project would position the U.S. to take the lead in fast-growing markets and reduce the trade deficit. The plan would also reduce air pollution, America’s contribution to global climate change, and dependence on imported oil.

The Apollo ten-point energy plan calls for investing in green homes and buildings, reinvesting in smart urban growth, promoting hybrid vehicles and other alternative means of transportation, expanding renewable-energy development and the use of hydrogen, increasing the use of efficient appliances, modernizing the electrical infrastructure, and preserving regulatory protections.