Bernie Sanders, the Senator of Vermont and US presidential candidate, has introduced a legislation which aims to stimulate sustainable economy by spurring new investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 proposes the permanent extension of production tax credit for renewable electricity generation from sources including marine and hydrokinetic energy, wind, geothermal, solar and open- and closed-loop biomass.
Sanders states that the permanent extension of these incentives would drive over $500 billion in clean energy investments between now and 2030, and would also put USA on a pathway to more than doubling the size of its clean energy workforce to 10,000,000 American workers.
Sanders said: “If we’re going to be serious about dealing with the threat of climate change, we need to end the polluter welfare that subsidizes increased pollution from fossil fuels and instead invest those resources in clean energy solutions that reduce pollution.
“We have a moral responsibility to help working families in the fossil fuel industry find new jobs. We must act now to reenergize our manufacturing base, bolster our clean energy economy and protect the livelihoods of these workers and the communities they support.”
In addition to American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 , Sanders introduced The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act. The bills, both co-sponsored by senators Jeff Merkley and Edward Markey, aim to create new sustainable energy jobs and allocate $41 billion to helping oil, gas and coal workers as they transition out of the fossil fuel industry, according to Sanders.