Green jobs prominently featured in Obama's new stimulus package

 Source: LA Times

Last week, President-Elect Obama announced that upon taking office he will enact an immediate and sweeping economic stimulus plan that will create 2.5 million jobs in 2 years, many of which will be green jobs.

Obama's new plan is beefed up in response to what he now calls "a crisis of historic proportions."

In the weekly radio address, he said the economic stimulus:

"will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jumpstart job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels, fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead.” 

On the campaign trail, Obama adopted the call of Green For All, the Apollo Alliance, and other groups, when he committed to creating 5 million green jobs as part of his energy platform.  But this is the first time that he has indicated that green jobs would be central to his stimulus package, his top priority upon entering office.

According to The New York Times:

Advisers to Mr. Obama say they want to use the economic crisis as an opportunity to act on many of the issues he emphasized in his campaign, including cutting taxes for lower- and middle-class workers, addressing neglected public infrastructure projects like roads and schools, and creating “green jobs” through business incentives for energy alternatives and environmentally friendly technologies.

Read more:
LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/business/careers/work/la-na-obama-economy23-2008nov23,0,3050467.story

 NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/us/politics/23obama.html?hp