Energy Independence Day
Jerome Ringo
June 28, 2006
Jerome Ringo, a resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana and a 20-year veteran of the petrochemical industry, is President of the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor unions, environmentalists, business leaders, and social justice organizations united for energy independence and good jobs. For more information, visit www.apollochallenge.com.
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Not so very long ago, President John Kennedy recognized our spirits needed a lift after the Soviet's launched the Sputnik satellite. Many feared that Sputnik spelled Soviet dominance in space, and the possibility that America would lose its technological edge.
Kennedy took action, calling for an Apollo program to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth in just 10 years. The technology to achieve the goal didn't exist at the time Kennedy spoke. But he knew our "can do" nation was up to the challenge.
Today, we have our own Sputnik moment. Escalating violence in Iraq. Gas costing $3 a gallon. Hurricanes of historic power that knocked out oil production along the Gulf Coast.
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Even more ambitious, Sen. Harry Reid and 24 Democratic colleagues introduced the Clean EDGE Act, a comprehensive “Apollo Plan” to build a 21st Century “clean energy” economy. Like the Vehicle and Fuel Choices Act, Clean EDGE sets an ambitious oil savings goal, but it goes further. One innovative provision would provide federal loan guarantees for manufacture of renewable energy components, ensuring that working families hard hit be industrial outsourcing would benefit from development of wind and other clean power sources.
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http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/06/28/energy_independence_day.php
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