Invest $25 & Power a Green Economy

  If you haven’t heard about them yet, you soon will—Clean Energy Victory Bonds (CEVBs)—that any American can invest in for as little as $25 to fuel a booming future for renewable energy projects. The bonds are like World War II victory bonds that raised billions of dollars for the war effort.  As Todd Larsen of Green America notes, “CEVBs will be available to individual investors as well as institutions.” And their low barrier to entry “means that all Americans can afford to purchase one.” In other words, the 75% of us who can’t put solar panels on our own roofs will have another way to participate in and benefit from solar and other renewables.

On August 2, Representative Bob Filner and 10 cosponsors introduced the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of 2012 in the House of Representatives. The bill is officially entitled “To promote the domestic development and deployment of clean energy technologies required for the 21st century,” The $50 billion raised from the bonds will fund clean energy programs that support wind, solar, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles in the United States and is projected to reduce the unemployment rate to 1.5 percent. To help make CEVBs a reality, please visit http://cleanenergyvictorybonds.org/take-action

The top ten reasons for supporting Clean Energy Victory Bonds:

1. Over 1.7 Million New Good-Paying Jobs: The $50 billion raised by CEVBs can be leveraged to provide a full $150 billion in investment in clean energy technology. Research shows that total investments of $150 billion in clean energy can create at least 1.7 million competitively-paying jobs, reducing the unemployment rate by 1 to 1.5 percent.
2. Budget Neutral: Provides an essentially budget and tax neutral financing mechanism, with no additional taxes on individuals or corporations.
3. Energy Security: Reduces U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy, enhancing national security.
4. Consumer Savings: Clean energy solutions will lower utility bills since clean energy sources are free of the volatility and price increases of fossil fuels. When clean energy solutions are paired with energy efficiency, consumers will see a decrease in energy costs.
5. A Safe Investment: Investors will be purchasing US Treasury Bonds. Backed by the full faith and credit of the US Government, investors will earn back their full investment plus interest.
6. Grow US Businesses: Support the growth of American businesses in the clean energy sector, and help them become more competitive globally.
7. Health Benefits: Protect the health and safety of Americans by reducing local air and water pollution throughout the country. Clean energy will significantly reduce deaths from heart attacks, lung diseases and asthma, and reduce birth defects from mercury poisoning.
8. Grow the US Economy: Will bring money into the American economy through foreign exports as demand for clean energy around the world increases.
9. Clean Energy Protects the Economy: Clean energy relies on limitless sources like sun, wind and geothermal, which in turn will limit jolts to the US economy from energy price increases. Currently, the economy is at the mercy of price increases for fossil fuel resources (especially oil) and the price of oil will only go up as we deplete reserves.
10. Now lagging behind Canada, China, Spain and Brazil, the U.S. can again become the leading producer and exporter of advanced energy technologies and ensure our economic competitiveness for generations.