Veterans, National Security Leaders Stand Up For Clean Energy In New Repower America TV Ad

As the nation prepares to celebrate Veterans Day and honor the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign today released a new television ad featuring veterans and national security leaders in their own voices calling for bold action now on clean energy and climate change to strengthen America’s national security.

Wesley Clark: State's energy future is biofuels

Wesley K. Clark | April 20, 2009 | Orlando Sentinel

It's precisely during times of crisis that the best of America emerges. I have found, through my travels all over the globe, that it is the resiliency of the American people during hard times that is our defining characteristic. As we face the challenges of high unemployment, a warming climate and unstable regimes on whom we depend for oil, I believe we can meet these challenges by remaining undaunted in the face of adversity and applying American ingenuity to find solutions.

Last month, a group I'm part of, Growth Energy, proposed one such solution by submitting a green jobs waiver to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which would increase the blend of ethanol in our fuel supply up to 15 percent — creating jobs, boosting our energy independence and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Right now, ethanol is capped at 10 percent of the fuel supply.

When the Florida Legislature passed the comprehensive energy bill unanimously last year requiring 10 percent of Florida's fuel to come from ethanol, it unleashed the imagination of Florida's entrepreneurs. Companies have proposed making ethanol from everything from sugar cane, switchgrass, sorghum and even orange peels that would, otherwise, be wasted.

General Wesley Clark on MSNBC

March 6, 2009

Transcription by RegNYC

Joe Scarborough: Let's go from domestic policy to foreign policy. I want to talk with former NATO Supreme Allied Commander retired General Wesley Clark. He and his group Growth Energy are calling on the EPA to raise the cap on ethanol in gasoline, a move he says would actually create new jobs. Before we go there, General, you know a heck of a lot about money, about markets. Could you talk about- Michael Kinsley worried last week in a column that even if the stimulus plan works, all this spending could increase inflation perhaps to 10, 20 percent. Are you concerned about when the economy turns around, hopefully it turns around, that we have a lot of inflationary pressures that could really be the next big crisis in this country?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Yes, I've had those thoughts. I have had those concerns, Joe. But unfortunately we're not yet quite on the brink of turning around, and as these numbers come out we seem to be in a downward spiral. So, we very badly need this stimulus package to take hold. And then I think there will be time and I, and I know, I've talked to the people who are dealing with many of these issues. They're very much aware of a subsequent potential inflationary threat, but right now the threat is not inflation. We've got to get America back to work. And if I can just use that, that's why the group I'm working with the ethanol producers in the United States are so strongly in favor of lifting the cap on ethanol in gasoline. Right now it's set at 10 percent. It should be moved to 15 percent. The scientific studies are in. It'll create 135,000 jobs. It doesn't need any special legislation or subsidy moneys beyond anything that's out there right now. It's just a matter of regulatory capping of the, of the amount of ethanol in gasoline, and we could raise it-

Joe Scarborough: General, why-

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -from 10 to 15 percent.

Joe Scarborough: -why do we hear s- why do we hear so much criticism of ethanol. It's an alternative fuel source, but it seems that a lot of environmentalists don't like ethanol. A lot of people on the other side, pure capitalists don't like ethanol. They say it's just basically a big payoff to Iowa voters every four years.

General Wesley Clark on Fox Business

February 5, 2009

Transcription by RegNYC

Alexis Glick: Retired Army General and ex-presidential candidate Wesley Clark is enlisting in the battle to go green. Today he becomes Co-Chair of Growth Energy, a consortium of ethanol producers, and he's joined the board of directors of clean energy provider Juhl Wind. Ironically, his new business interests could get a 100 billion dollar budget boost from President Obama while his old business, defense, faces budget cuts. Joining me in a First on Fox is General Wesley Cl-Clark. General, good to see you.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you Alexsis. Good to be with you.

Alexis Glick: So, you've recently been appointed to the board of directors with Juhl Wind. You've also been an active Co-Chair with Growth Energy. Renewable energy has become a passion, a commitment. Tell me why.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, absolutely, because it's about energy independence for the United States and that's national security. It's about jobs. That's for our welfare. It's about a better environment, and it's about economic development particularly in rural America and the Midwest. And I want to talk for just a minute about ethanol, because we've worked- this is a brand new industry. It's taken- it's an American industry. It started 30 years ago. It's really taken off in the last five years. We're about to make the transition to cellulosic, and every year we're replacing hundreds of millions of barrels of imported oil from unstable countries elsewhere in the world with good American product. We've brought prosperity back into many towns across middle America. This is a great American success story, and it's getting ready to move to the next stage. That's what I'm happy to be part of.