WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- Two members of President Barack Obama's Cabinet touted the benefits of clean energy for the United States in an Earth Day opinion piece Wednesday.
"Now, we have a unique and critical opportunity to attack the energy crisis head on and create a comprehensive energy policy that will bolster our economy, end our dependence on foreign oil and reduce the threat of deadly pollution that is devastating our planet," Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu said.
The piece was published in a number of newspapers, including The Denver Post and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Finding sources of clean energy is "the growth industry of the 20th century," they said. They argued that the jobs created will cover a range of skills from research and development to working in factories and will be jobs that cannot move overseas.
"Rather than sending billions overseas to pay for these new and developing energy technologies, President Obama believes we should invest those dollars here in American jobs and innovation," they said. "By developing a clean energy economy here at home, we will end our dependence on foreign oil and begin to make America truly energy independent."
