Speaking at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas on Monday, former President Bill Clinton challenged Americans to change how the energy/climate debate has been framed by extremists on the right.
The debate so far has been dominated by a need to prove that:
1) Global warming is real.
2) Global warming is caused by human activity.
3) Global warming is bad.
4) Measures to stop global warming won’t destroy our economy and way of life.
Green energy jobs — and the new economy they are part of — will be the focus of the “National Clean Energy Summit, 2.0” to be held in Las Vegas on Monday. The summit, now in its second year, is hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the University of Nevada-LasVegas.
Morning panel discussions will center on the macro economic case for clean-energy investment, energy-efficiency projects, and promoting the market for renewable energy and its infrastructure.
Environmentalists concerned about potential damage to desert ecosystems, electric utilities wanting to expand into the growing solar energy market, and anyone else for that matter, have been given until September 14 to tell the government their concerns about a plan to open some 670,000 acres of federal land to development for large-scale solar power facilities. The change adds 45 days to the original public comment period.
In announcing the change, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, explained:
