OH Business Bigwigs Bend Ears in DC
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October 8, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio - High-level business leaders from Ohio are among those from more than 30 states who are on Capitol Hill today fighting for clean energy. They are part of the "We Can Lead" campaign, which is backing policies they say can help the environment, as well as spur job growth and business expansion.
Herman Bulls, president of Chicago-based real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, is one of the company executives participating in the campaign. He says clean energy and climate-change bill pending in the Senate presents a perfect opportunity to address several pressing concerns at once.
"The first one is the environment. The second one is dependency on foreign sources for our energy. Obviously, in the situation we are in right now, we also need to think about job creation and opportunities for our citizens."
Some voices in the business sector have warned against such legislation, saying it will increase costs for consumers and hurt the nation's economy. However, Bulls says the legislation would create jobs and restore the country's competitiveness.
A recent analysis estimates that that major clean energy investments now on the table would generate more than $5 billion in investment revenue and 67,000 jobs over 10 years in Ohio alone.
Bulls argues the cost of action is much less than the cost of inaction on all the issues related to switching to a clean energy economy.
"Environmental change is going at a very, very fast pace. And it's important that we all do some thinking about the next generation, while at the same time addressing the short-term impact in terms of employment and getting the velocity of our economy going."
The "We Can Lead" campaign is comprised of electric utilities, consumer businesses, innovators, manufacturers and clean energy companies from across the country.
The Senate bill is the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The House already has passed its version of the bill.