Action needed to save climate, create jobs
Clean-energy technologies offer the promise of revitalizing a dwindling base of manufacturing jobs in the United States while also addressing the problems of climate change and energy security, said Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico in a keynote speech at the annual MIT Energy Conference. But as great as the potential may be, it won't be realized unless substantial new policies and regulations are put in place — and the chances of that happening anytime soon are slim, he said. While Congress and the Obama administration have taken some first steps, he said, "the policies that have been enacted to date are clearly not sufficient to establish the U.S. as the leader in clean technology." Right now, he said, "90 percent of the production capacity for new clean technology is outside the United States."Bingaman added that "China is moving ahead very aggressively," and the United States needs to act...