Podesta: Energy Summit will help shape legislation
John Podesta, chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, says ideas under discussion at today’s National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 will help shape pending legislation in Congress, including a carbon cap-and-trade bill the Senate will consider in the fall.
Podesta also said retrofitting 50 million homes and small commercial buildings would create 625,000 sustained jobs in construction and manufacturing, and would save consumers up to $64 billion a year.
Podesta noted that several policies hammered out in last year’s summit, also at UNLV, have become law.
“We expect this discussion today will help form and inform the upcoming debate, and we’re confident it will reach Washington,” Podesta said.
Also, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, initially scheduled to appear, was unable to attend the summit, partly because of prison riots in California and partly because his mother-in-law, Eunice Shriver, is gravely ill.
Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.