If the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) had been an energy bill, it would arguably have been the single-most important piece of clean energy legislation in our nation’s history. It drove unprecedented new investments — both public and private — into modernizing America’s clean energy infrastructure. And its clean energy provisions alone have already saved or created 63,000 jobs and are expected to create more than 700,000 jobs by 2012. Now that ARRA has run its course, we need to stay committed to these investments to keep building the U.S. clean energy industry and remain globally competitive.
Newly elected President Barack Obama signed the historic economic recovery package into law two years ago this week. ARRA was an emergency measure to “stop the bleeding” from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which the new president inherited from the previous administration.
Two years later we can confidently say ARRA has worked. Broadly supported by industry and economists, ARRA infused $787 billion into our nation’s economy. It created investments, saved and created more than 3 million American j... Read more
