Creating American Jobs by Harnessing Our Resources

Testimony Before the House Committee on Natural Resources

By Kate Gordon | September 8, 2011

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SOURCE:Center for American Progress

CAP Vice President for Energy Policy Kate Gordon testifies before the House Committee on Natural Resources. Read the testimony. (CAP Action)

Chairman Hastings, Ranking Member Markey, and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify before you today. The question of how we can best harness our natural resources to generate sustainable, secure energy and create high-quality jobs is critical in light of the triple crises America now faces: an economic crisis that has left 14 million people unemployed; an energy security crisis that leaves us vulnerable to every international incident and natural or manmade disaster; and a climate crisis that threatens the very planet we live on. In true American entrepreneurial spirit, we at the Center for American Progress Action Fund believe that these crises bring enormous opportunity, but only if the United States decides to get off the bench and join the green jobs race already being run by most of the other developed countries in the world. I am glad to share my and the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s perspective on how green jobs can contribute—and in fact are already contributing—to our long-term economic and environmental health, and I look forward to your comments and questions.

In my testimony I will discuss the vast potential of our natural resource base to spur clean energy production, as well as the many jobs and businesses that have already been created in the clean technology sector. I will also highlight the increasingly vulnerable position of the United States in the global clean energy marketplace, and specifically the work other countries are doing to become innovation leaders while creating clean energy jobs. I will conclude by recommending several specific steps this Congress and administration can take to protect our land and water while putting America back on track to lead the clean-tech revolution, just as we led the Industrial and high-tech revolutions that came before.

CAP Vice President for Energy Policy Kate Gordon testifies before the House Committee on Natural Resources. Read the testimony. (CAP Action)