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Obama's Earth Day Pitch: 'New Energy Economy'

America must choose a 'new energy economy,' he says

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Apr 22, 2009 3:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama returned to Iowa—his crucial campaign battleground win—for Earth Day, hailing the “new, clean energy economy” and unveiling an offshore wind project. “It is time for us to lay a new foundation for economic growth by beginning a new era of energy exploration,” he said. But the town he chose may not have been the best example, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Only dozens of the 2,000 workers laid off when a Maytag factory shuttered in Newton, Iowa, are employed by a new wind turbine factory. That’s a far cry from the “millions of jobs” Obama says will flow from green projects. He also avoided specific numbers or examples when claiming that there’s a “rush to hire” for local renewable-energy projects.

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President Barack Obama waves to workers after speaking about his alternative energy plan at the Trinity Structural Towers in Newton, Iowa, earlier today. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

President Barack Obama speaks about his alternative energy plan in Newton. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

President Barack Obama talks to workers following a plant tour at the Trinity Structural Towers, which manufactures towers for wind energy production. (AP Photo)

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at Trinity Structural Towers in Newton, Iowa, today. (AP Photo)

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All of the steps we have taken in just these first three months represent perhaps more progress than we have achieved in three decades. - Barack Obama

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Obama's Earth Day Pitch: 'New Energy Economy'