Happy Earth Day
EmailABC News’ Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report:
On this Earth Day, President Obama heads to Newton, Iowa where he will make the case that energy investments are job-creators.
The argument will be demonstrated with a tour — in a former Maytag plant — of the local branch of Trinity Structural Towers, which manufactures towers for wind energy production.
When Whirlpool Corp. purchased Maytag Corporation in 2006, it announced plans to shutter the former Maytag HQ.
Newton has been hurting since then.
Especially hooked political junkies will remember that before the January 2008 Iowa caucus, the campaign of then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., tried to link Newton’s pain to decisions made by a hedge fund for which former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, worked.
After a tour of the factory, the White House says, "President Obama will deliver remarks discussing components of his comprehensive energy plan, which include promoting clean energy innovation to help end our dependence on foreign oil, creating millions of new jobs, and preventing the worst consequences of climate change."
Also today, at the White House, the Big 3 American automakers (such as they are) are driving over some of their fuel efficient models to the White House.
The procurement folks at the White House who need to update the fleet of White House vehicles will be "raising the hood and kicking the tires" to see which ones they would like to add to the fleet.
– Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
One would think that on Earth Day, the president woulnd’t travel to make some speech.
Air Force One, the C130′s for the motorcade vehicle and Marine One.
Just how much carbon does he emit on one of these trips.
Posted by: Angie | April 22, 2009, 9:56 am 9:56 am
“promoting clean energy innovation to help end our dependence on foreign oil,”
This is utter nonsense. Each and every single program Obama proposes has one and only one purpose: take money from those who work and give it to those who will not.
He talks about jobs but has delineated absolutely none. He talked big about jobs in infrastructure and then his “stimulus” snow job provides only a small amount of spending on it and most of it comes next year.
Posted by: drjohn | April 22, 2009, 9:57 am 9:57 am
If the President is to remain consistent, he needs to ask his economics advisor Summers and his own Chief of Staff Rahm how they made so much money in so little time on Wall St.
Didn’t the President himself say Wall St. compensation was part of the problem?
Will he come out to the podium and say tha these cabinet officials ‘gamed’ the system too?
Posted by: J House | April 22, 2009, 9:59 am 9:59 am
What a joke this is. Obama never misses a politcal beat and today’s Newton, Iowa, Air Force One jet-in, is yet another slimy exmple.
How politically expedient Newton remains during Obama’s never-ending campaign tour. Poor Newton, to be used so shamelessly both before Obama’s ascent to the throne and now after his crowning.
Obama is the SELECTED ONE to continue brainwashing the poor subjects of Newton, our country, and the world on MAN-MADE global warming … oh, sorry, I meant CLIMATE CHANGE. Notice the MAN-MADE part is never mentioned?
Geez, sure seems like Obama is logging a ton of hours on the jets? How’s that working out for his carbon footprint?
Posted by: Chris | April 22, 2009, 10:08 am 10:08 am
Three months in office and The One is still in full campaign mode…Makes sense as campaigning is the singular core competency he has thus demonstrated.
How ’bout giving Mother Earth (and the U.S. taxpayer) a break by staying in D.C. for awhile?
Posted by: tjp612 | April 22, 2009, 10:18 am 10:18 am
It would be great if he used the time in Iowa to highlight how, when some industries die, others crop up to take their place. ‘Tis the cycle.
I do wonder if the President fears creating a green energy bubble.
Posted by: MayBee | April 22, 2009, 10:22 am 10:22 am
Climate change is real. It has been occurring for millions of years.
Anthropogenic climate change (i.e., “man-made” climate change) is a scam promoted as yet another avenue to distribute earnings to the government.
Posted by: tjp612 | April 22, 2009, 10:23 am 10:23 am
Mine the coal, drill the oil, drive black cars, turn down the thermostat and leave the lights on. Its supposed to be a free country.
Posted by: Sluggo | April 22, 2009, 10:25 am 10:25 am
I hope if he mentions “smart grids” and “smart meters” in homes, a reporter will actually spend some time explaining what they are.
Smart meter = turn off your power during peak usage hours.
Smart grid = efficiently directing power + monitoring usage to charge users more during peak hours
Posted by: MayBee | April 22, 2009, 10:32 am 10:32 am
“Mine the coal, drill the oil, drive black cars, turn down the thermostat and leave the lights on. Its supposed to be a free country.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the poster child for the Republican voter.
Pssttt…nobody’s telling you can’t these things.
Posted by: Silky | April 22, 2009, 10:42 am 10:42 am
The earth has been going through warm and cold cycles for millions of years. this country is not a significant contributor to the warming and cooling cycles. they will happen whether or not we do anything. Being good stewards of jthe earth is one thing. All this ‘Green” BS is just a way for the government to control yet another aspect of our lives. And in no way can wind or solar energy replace the energy needs of this country. It is only producing a small percentage of the requirement.
Posted by: mj | April 22, 2009, 10:51 am 10:51 am
Get rid of bulk discounts for
high energy users. For home use, find the median home consumption level, and set tax for usage above that. The affected users can probably avoid the tax fairly easily just by changing their lightbulbs since the difference between the above average and below average users is that most of the latter are already conserving.
Posted by: Jim H | April 22, 2009, 10:52 am 10:52 am
JimH, why don’t you worry about yourself and let other people worry about themselves. It is known by various terms-freedom, liberty etc.
Posted by: Sluggo | April 22, 2009, 11:16 am 11:16 am
Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the poster child for the Republican voter.
Posted by: Silky | Apr 22, 2009 10:42:49 AM
________________________________________
BS! You libs always try to paint w/ such a broad brush that you miss the true details! I’m a Republican, very conservative on fiscal matters, and I have probably the most energy efficient home for blocks (and guess what …. I live near lots of good old fashioned, Northeastern libs! :-). I want to save the planet as much as the next guy, but probably for different reasons then you libs! I want us to be energy independent, and I also think the planet isn’t ours to abuse! You libs, however, like to promote BS man-made global warming (GW and Global Cooling happen with or without us I’m afraid) for political purposes and more control …. basically, to tell other people how to run their lives.
Posted by: Obama, the second coming | April 22, 2009, 11:26 am 11:26 am
“JimH, why don’t you worry about yourself and let other people worry about themselves. It is known by various terms-freedom, liberty etc.”
Because when what you do effects me and my kids, it is no longer simply a matter of freedom and liberty, but of potentially criminal negligence.
Posted by: Silky | April 22, 2009, 11:28 am 11:28 am
No, he’s definitely the poster child. Over the slogan “Cut off your nose to spite your face!”
Posted by: Silky | April 22, 2009, 11:30 am 11:30 am
You can certainly “create jobs” by using tax money, or printed money, to pay people to make expensive devices of limited value. But I don’t think that is going to benefit the rest of us.
Posted by: tiktin | April 22, 2009, 11:36 am 11:36 am
Is Janet Napolitano remotely qualified for her job?
“Ottawa was rushing to defend its border security on Tuesday amid a diplomatic scuffle with the U.S., which erupted after Washington’s homeland security chief suggested that the 9-11 terrorists entered the U.S. through Canada.
“U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made the comments during a media interview earlier this week, much to the chagrin of Canadians on both sides of the border.”
Not a one of them came through Canada. How can she be ignorant of this fact?
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | April 22, 2009, 11:52 am 11:52 am
The saddest part of the whole 9/11 affair is that they all came in legally, some with multiple entry visas.
(2 that CIA knew were AQ)
Others overstayed their visas and were allowed back in.
The only reason one wasn’t allowed in is because of a sharp imm. agent in Orlando.
That may have helped save the Capitol bldg from smoldering that day.
Posted by: J House | April 22, 2009, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm
Dear fellow Jake Tapper blog readers and, of course, Mr. Jake Tapper.
The following is an interesting opinion from astrophysicist Dr. Willie Soon regarding the sun’s effect on our climate.
Dr. Soon’s speciality is the sun for both Harvard and the Smithsonian and he is noting a decrease in sun spot activity that seems to be correlating with a general temperature DECLINE for the past ten years.
He recently said this: “If this deep solar minimum continues and our planet cools while CO2 levels continue to rise, thinking needs to change. This will be a very telling time and it’s very, very useful in terms of science and society in my opinion”.
Ladies and gentleman. There you have it. The global warming jury is still out.
How SILLY to think that our SUN could actually be directing our climate changes!
Funny. He doesn’t mention anything about driving those gas-guzzling (but safe) SUVs…
Posted by: Chris | April 22, 2009, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
And a Happy Earth Day to everyone even the grumpiest of the commenters here!
Sluggo, you seem confused about what is entailed in our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It doesn’t give you the right to pursue anything that will endangers others rights to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. Just one example, as the pollution in cities increases so does the number and severity of children and adults with asthma and deaths from asthma. So even if you don’t believe in man-made global climate change, you would have to see that individuals have the right to breath safely.
Posted by: Lydia | April 22, 2009, 1:28 pm 1:28 pm
Silky…I must also weigh-in as a Republican who is economically conservative and socially liberal who drives a hybrid, ripped out my beautiful green lawn and put in x-scaping with all solar lighting, recycles EVERYTHING, I even did away with my log burning fireplace and went propane and plan to install an energy friendly wind mill…So please don’t put us all in one basket Dems or Republicans…BTW the Bushes energy friendly Texas ranch would even make Al Gore cry……So what is your contribution???
Posted by: Parallax View | April 22, 2009, 1:46 pm 1:46 pm
So I wonder how much CO2 that obama is using to fly all the way to Iowa to celebrate earth day? You would think for earth day, he would turn off the lights, close govt offices and keep quiet to save energy, but with him, it is do as I say, not do as I do.
Posted by: DJ | April 22, 2009, 1:51 pm 1:51 pm
I solemnly swear to keep my carbon footprint lower than that of Al Gore for the remainder of my life. What more can he, or anyone else, ask?
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | April 22, 2009, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
Obama should have stayed in D.C. and attended an event there to reduce his ever increasing “carbon footprint”. Obama should also stop having special kobe beef flown in from Japan and special pizza flown in from St. Louis, and Obama should turn down the heat in the White House (everyone complains he turns the thermostat way, way too high) and stay in the White House more often as opposed to constantly flying everywhere.
Obama is all talk and no walk on evironmental issues! Just another example of do as I say, not as I do. Hypocrites!
After years of purchasing “swirly” lightbulbs thinking they are good for the environment, I have recently learned that they are apparently hazardous to humans and the earth as they contain MERCURY! If you break one it’s apparently a haz mat situation and requires special “clean up” and can costs thousands to properly clean up a mercury spill. Also, mercury exposure is very, very dangerous to children and pregant women in particular. Also, mercury has no place in landfills that are currently filling up with these swirly bulbs. So, I will never purchase “swirly” bulbs again for the above reasons. I hope you won’t as well.
There are many other ways we can save energy and help the earth. We have been misled on “swirly” bulbs.
Help the earth, don’t hurt it. Thank you!
Posted by: T | April 22, 2009, 2:00 pm 2:00 pm
“So, I will never purchase “swirly” bulbs again for the above reasons. I hope you won’t as well.
There are many other ways we can save energy and help the earth. We have been misled on “swirly” bulbs.”
Help the earth, don’t hurt it. Thank you!
Posted by: T | Apr 22, 2009 2:00:00 PM
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T, sorry to tell you that starting in 2014, all incandescent bulbs will be phased out, therefore all we will be able to buy are those “swirly” bulbs that contain mercury.
Never mind that those “swirly” bulbs are a health hazard. In fact, if one is broken, windows must be opened to air out the house for at least 15 minutes, of course, keeping pets and children away.
The cleanup involves wearing plastic gloves and using a paper towel to pick up the debris. Do not use sweep it up by using a broom or vacuum. It is recommended to use a damp cloth to wipe down the area after you have picked up the debris, using your gloved hands.
One is not supposed to discard the broken bulb in the trash. You are supposed to store it in a plastic, ziplock, baggie and take it to your local hazmat disposal area. Yeah, right. Like THAT’S gonna happen.
You might want to consider stockpiling Thomas Edison’s creation. I am.
Posted by: Chris | April 22, 2009, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
Stock up, T! The UK has mandated phase out of incandescent bulbs in favor of “swirly” fluorescent bulbs by 2011.
We probably aren’t far behind… Especially with Jeff Immelt from GE serving as an advisor to The One…GE will profit handsomely from sale of higher margin “swirlies”
Posted by: tjp612 | April 22, 2009, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
Keep flying all over the place in Air Force One Obama, that is such a smart use of our resources on Earth Day. We’ll try to keep our tires inflated, we sure can’t afford new cars.
Posted by: Kathleen | April 22, 2009, 3:01 pm 3:01 pm
Y r we making fun of Obama? It’s earth day everyone shud be happy!!
Posted by: Master Baker | April 22, 2009, 3:45 pm 3:45 pm
Happy Earthday! Check out green project ideas .
Posted by: David Garay | April 22, 2009, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
Nice Report, Earth Day should be everyday, it is good that there is at least one day to spread awareness.
Posted by: Vince | April 22, 2009, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
All of the well known armchair environmentalists who have big homes and private jets (but are very green – otherwise) should publish their own carbon footprint data.. including the TVA’s own Al Gore.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | April 23, 2009, 7:45 am 7:45 am
Earth day is an interesting event wherein there will only be an empty road free from cars.
Posted by: unparalled61 | May 8, 2009, 4:09 am 4:09 am