Gov. Ted Strickland says he supports a new nationwide initiative called the Apollo Alliance that backers say would create more than five million green-collar jobs in the U.S.
The plan, which takes its name from the Apollo space program, was developed by a coalition of business, environmental, labor and community leaders. Proponents say it would provide the resources and investment necessary to produce 25 percent of the nation's power from renewable resources. The spin-off, according to Gov. Strickland, is a revitalized economy.
"If we do what the Apollo program is encouraging the next president and the next Congress to do, we will see a renaissance within America's and Ohio's economy," Strickland says.
The program would cost $500 billion over a ten-year period. But the investment would create 5 million green jobs in the U.S., according to Apollo Alliance president Jerome Ringo. Ringo says the plan would accomplish three main objectives:
One, we will reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Two, we will curb the effects of global warming, because research and development takes us away from being solely dependent on oil and gas. And the third thing is it's an economic stimulant. It's going to create jobs, green jobs, not just for America but for Ohio in particular.
Apollo Alliance members include the Sierra Club, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Steelworkers, Earthjustice and ACORN.