The Clean Energy & Environmental Accomplishments of Senate Democrats in the 110th & 111th Congress
Congressional Desk
April 29, 2010
During the week of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, many people will reflect on the significant steps the nation has taken to improve the environment and protect our natural resources. While real progress has been made since the first Earth Day in 1970, work continues to help provide current and future generations with cleaner air, cleaner water, reductions in pollution, the elimination of hazardous waste sites, and stronger natural resource protections.
Senate Democrats have been honoring those efforts since regaining the majority in 2006 by aggressively promoting a legislative agenda that includes strong clean energy, environmental, and natural resource protection provisions. This Fact Sheet details the many legislative clean energy and environmental accomplishments Senate Democrats have achieved during the 110th and 111th Congresses.
111th Congress
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) enacted a number of important energy and environmental provisions aimed at creating jobs while simultaneously improving the environment. The most significant of these provisions is the historic investment in clean energy. The law provided $66.8 billion (as calculated by the Congressional Research Service) through a combination of tax incentives, federal funding, and loan guarantees providing for a significant expansion of clean energy deployment, job creation, and a better environment.
While the recession and tight credit markets had threatened to derail clean energy growth, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is accelerating - and is projected to continue to advance - the development of clean energy technologies. These positive impacts were recently detailed in reports on the growth of certain renewable energy industries in 2009.
Wind. In 2009, the United States broke all previous records by installing over 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind energy. This one year growth in wind energy generation increased the nation´s total wind energy generating capacity by 40 percent (25,000 MW to 35,000 MW) [AWEA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
Solar. In 2009, the nation´s total solar energy electrical capacity surpassed 2,100 MW and total thermal capacity reached nearly 24,000 megawatts‐thermal. The 481 MW increase in the nation´s solar electricity generation represents a 37 percent increase from 2008 levels [SEIA; Last Accessed 4.16.10] and [SEIA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
Geothermal. In 2009, the United States had a total installed geothermal capacity of close to 3,100 MW, an increase of 176 MW from 2008. The 176 MW of geothermal energy installed in 2009 surpassed the combined total of newly installed geothermal from the previous three years (2006, 2007, and 2008). Even more promising, another 161 MW of geothermal were in the final stages of development before coming online and more than 7,000 MW are in earlier phases of development [GEA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
Going forward, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is projected to continue to spur growth in clean energy deployment. According to a recent Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook, the nation is expected to deploy 10,000 more megawatts of electricity from renewable energy resources in 2010 than it would have had the legislation not been passed. Further, the Outlook anticipates that, by 2020, the United States will generate 37,000 more megawatts of electricity from renewable energy resources than it would have had the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act not been enacted [EIA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
In terms of job creation, many of the nation´s renewable energy industries have also been experiencing strong growth. These trends were recently detailed in reports on the growth of certain renewable energy industries in 2009.
Wind. In 2009, the number of people employed in the wind energy industry reached 85,000, which is an increase from 50,000 two years ago. The number of wind manufacturing facilities also increased by 39 and the United States now has over 200 facilities located across the United States.
Solar. In 2009, the number of people directly employed by the solar industry rose to approximately 25,000, an increase of approximately 25 percent from 2008 levels. Additionally, the Solar Energy Industries Association most recent Annual Report found that in 2009 alone "its employees supported an additional 7,000 induced jobs for a total economic impact of 17,000 new jobs in 2009." Going forward, because growth in the solar industry is expected to continue with the total number of jobs in the solar industry or supported by its supply chain reaching 60,000 by 2010 [SEIA; Last Accessed 4.15.10].
Geothermal. The Geothermal Energy Association estimates that the 7,000 MW of geothermal energy under development will create 29,750 permanent jobs [GEA; Last Accessed 4.15.10].
In terms of the environment, the EIA has projected that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will avert the energy-related emission of approximately 225 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2011 and 2013.
Senate Democrats have been honoring those efforts since regaining the majority in 2006 by aggressively promoting a legislative agenda that includes strong clean energy, environmental, and natural resource protection provisions. This Fact Sheet details the many legislative clean energy and environmental accomplishments Senate Democrats have achieved during the 110th and 111th Congresses.
111th Congress
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) enacted a number of important energy and environmental provisions aimed at creating jobs while simultaneously improving the environment. The most significant of these provisions is the historic investment in clean energy. The law provided $66.8 billion (as calculated by the Congressional Research Service) through a combination of tax incentives, federal funding, and loan guarantees providing for a significant expansion of clean energy deployment, job creation, and a better environment.
While the recession and tight credit markets had threatened to derail clean energy growth, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is accelerating - and is projected to continue to advance - the development of clean energy technologies. These positive impacts were recently detailed in reports on the growth of certain renewable energy industries in 2009.
Wind. In 2009, the United States broke all previous records by installing over 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind energy. This one year growth in wind energy generation increased the nation´s total wind energy generating capacity by 40 percent (25,000 MW to 35,000 MW) [AWEA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
Solar. In 2009, the nation´s total solar energy electrical capacity surpassed 2,100 MW and total thermal capacity reached nearly 24,000 megawatts‐thermal. The 481 MW increase in the nation´s solar electricity generation represents a 37 percent increase from 2008 levels [SEIA; Last Accessed 4.16.10] and [SEIA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
Geothermal. In 2009, the United States had a total installed geothermal capacity of close to 3,100 MW, an increase of 176 MW from 2008. The 176 MW of geothermal energy installed in 2009 surpassed the combined total of newly installed geothermal from the previous three years (2006, 2007, and 2008). Even more promising, another 161 MW of geothermal were in the final stages of development before coming online and more than 7,000 MW are in earlier phases of development [GEA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
Going forward, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is projected to continue to spur growth in clean energy deployment. According to a recent Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook, the nation is expected to deploy 10,000 more megawatts of electricity from renewable energy resources in 2010 than it would have had the legislation not been passed. Further, the Outlook anticipates that, by 2020, the United States will generate 37,000 more megawatts of electricity from renewable energy resources than it would have had the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act not been enacted [EIA; Last Accessed 4.16.10].
In terms of job creation, many of the nation´s renewable energy industries have also been experiencing strong growth. These trends were recently detailed in reports on the growth of certain renewable energy industries in 2009.
Wind. In 2009, the number of people employed in the wind energy industry reached 85,000, which is an increase from 50,000 two years ago. The number of wind manufacturing facilities also increased by 39 and the United States now has over 200 facilities located across the United States.
Solar. In 2009, the number of people directly employed by the solar industry rose to approximately 25,000, an increase of approximately 25 percent from 2008 levels. Additionally, the Solar Energy Industries Association most recent Annual Report found that in 2009 alone "its employees supported an additional 7,000 induced jobs for a total economic impact of 17,000 new jobs in 2009." Going forward, because growth in the solar industry is expected to continue with the total number of jobs in the solar industry or supported by its supply chain reaching 60,000 by 2010 [SEIA; Last Accessed 4.15.10].
Geothermal. The Geothermal Energy Association estimates that the 7,000 MW of geothermal energy under development will create 29,750 permanent jobs [GEA; Last Accessed 4.15.10].
In terms of the environment, the EIA has projected that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will avert the energy-related emission of approximately 225 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2011 and 2013.