Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo is applauding the House of Representatives for passing the Clean Long-Term Energy Alternative for the Nation Act of 2007. Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo, in a recent press release, stated that it is a good first step in the long march toward a new energy future.

“The days of our federal government giving free rides to big oil are over,” said Ringo. “Passage of the CLEAN Act is a signal of change and the sign of a Congress that is ready to meet the challenge to end our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. But this is only the first step. Our nation needs to undertake a crash program that makes America the leader in clean energy technology, creates jobs of the future for the next generation of American workers, rebalances our nation’s relationship with the global environment and prepares us to meet the challenges of climate change.”

The CLEAN Act, which is part of the House leadership’s 100-Hour Agenda, repeals tax incentives extended to big oil companies and puts those funds toward alternative renewable energy sources. The bill is only the first of many proposals planned as part of Congress’ push for new energy initiatives.

“Americans are eager and ready to join our nation’s leaders to address the mounting threat to America’s energy and environmental security. They are hungry for solutions and ready to implement the policies necessary to put our economy on a new foundation, make us safer by weaning us off foreign oil and invest in tomorrow by developing clean energy technologies that bring hundreds of thousands of new jobs to our nation. Now is the time for us to meet this challenge,” said Ringo.

Yesterday, Senate Democrats announced their commitment to safeguarding America’s energy future by directing their attention toward energy legislation that invests in new strategies and new alternative energy and job creating technologies. An Apollo Alliance study found that a major investment in alternative energy technologies could add more than 3.3 million new jobs to America’s economy, stimulate $1.4 trillion dollars in new Gross Domestic Product, and pay for itself within 10 years. http://www.apolloalliance.org/jobs/index.cfm