Clinton vows to make U.S. ‘clean energy superpower’
Source: George Cahlink, E&E reporter • Posted: Monday, August 15, 2016
“Some country is going to be the clean energy superpower of the 21st century and create millions of jobs and businesses. It’s probably going to be either China, Germany or America. I want it to be us,” Clinton said in an economic address in Warren, Mich.
Clinton, whose remarks offered no new policy prescriptions, wanted to rebut a recent economy-focused address by Republican nominee Donald Trump. She said the wealthy real-estate developer has offered “no credible plans” for creating a clean energy future.
Clinton has outlined a broad economic blueprint focused on closing gaps in economic inequality, creating better jobs and reforming the tax code (Greenwire, Aug. 11).
Clinton renewed her calls for investing heavily in modernizing the nation’s infrastructure, saying it would create millions of new jobs. “We will work with both parties to pass the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II,” she said.
Part of her program, she said, calls for creating an infrastructure bank to get private investors involved with public projects. She said $25 billion in federal seed money could balloon to more than $250 billion with support from the private sector.
Clinton said she would also propose $10 billion for public-private partnerships aimed at supporting American manufacturing and scientific research that would eventually create new industries.
The former secretary of State drew her biggest contrasts with Trump by attacking his tax plan. She said Trump would give tax breaks to rich people like himself by cutting corporate taxes and ending the estate tax.
Clinton called his economic proposals “a more extreme version of trickle-down economics, with outlandish Trumpian ideas that even Republicans reject.”
She said she would oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal if elected and vowed to better enforce existing trade accords.
Clinton called for appointing a chief trade prosecutor, tripling federal trade enforcement personnel and using targeted tariffs to ensure fairer agreements. She said Trump’s trade policies would help incite trade wars and cost U.S. jobs.