by Deanna Brownlee

Created on: April 18, 2009

On January 20th, 2009, Barack Obama officially became the 44th President of the United States of America. As the leader of a nation, President Obama bears the weight of change on his shoulders. One such change is the desire, not only for jobs, but jobs that comply with the nation's environmentally friendly goals. Beginning now, our president aspires to generate five million new green jobs to stimulate the economy, promote clean energy, and create a brighter future for America.

Essentially, Obama will generate this change via a four-pronged approach. The first portion of the plan involves energy efficiency. According to Wikipedia.com, the term energy efficiency describes "using less energy to provide the same level of energy service" (Johnfos). Obama and Vice President Joe Biden strive to bring the country to a level of energy efficiency, pushing for options such as fluorescent bulbs, fully insulated homes, and energy efficient Energy Star appliances. The production of these products will generate the need for "green" jobs, and could prove to be just the push our economy needs.

Second is the goal to weatherize one million homes every year for the next ten years. Even well insulated homes can prove harmful to the green cause. Cracks, air leaks and various holes throughout the average American home decreases energy efficiency and promotes wasteful energy use. As 2009 presses on, more and more Americans will require weatherized homes. The benefits of weatherization are twofold: Such alteration requires contractors, and thus creates more jobs. Moreover, properly sealed homes will result in decreased energy costs.

Thirdly, Obama will work with the Department of Energy to create coal powered plants with carbon capture and sequestration. The process of carbon capture entails obtaining carbon from power plants or the surrounding air, while sequestration is the permanent storage of such carbon. The result of these efforts is a cleaner environment and another means through which America can benefit from lower energy costs.

Finally, Obama will emphasize the creation of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline. The pipeline alone is significantly beneficial to the economical state of the country. Some oil suppliers dominate the market and greedily raise oil prices. Some states or regions go so far as to limit or stop their oil supplies altogether. What's more, energy has the power to manipulate the condition of many economies, and, according to Wikipedia.com, both imports and exports

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