Beyond the press release: Unless DC Democrats can make the budget cuts required by Republican support of the new Home Star jobs bill, the "Cash for Caulkers" program is just an empty promise.

From House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office: “The legislation will create nearly 168,000 jobs in construction, manufacturing, and retail – some of the hardest hit sectors during the Bush recession.” (LOL, the “Bush recession” – kudos to the communications officers for that one).

From Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA): “I am pleased that this legislation will incentivize targeted job training and financial assistance for low-income communities and the chronically unemployed.”

Woo! What a great bill, right? Creating good jobs for American workers building energy efficient infrastructure, WHILST trimming back tax burdens. Um, well kind of – as Atlantic Journal Constitution blogger Jamie Dupree notes, Democrats actually turned against this bill in early voting, in protest of a Republican “Deficit Neutrality” motion. This motion essentially mandated that the costs of the “Cash for Caulkers” program be offset by new revenues or cutbacks elsewhere to come into effect. Without cuts or new revenue creation, it will, in effect, be a nothing bill. After some wrangling, Democrats voted with the motion, meaning they have some work to do before any of those promised jobs can be created. Of course, with the House passage,  the Senate now faces a similar challenge.

In my opinion, politicians need to get to work on this issue – and fast. After all, these jobs aren’t handouts – they are in high demand. Even before the dangling of tax credits, it has been clear Americans want to improve their homes. I recall an article in the Atlantic a few months back that followed the training of two brothers as energy auditors – one a former real estate broker psyched for the huge demand for his new-found talents. In light of this promise, let’s hope Washington can get it together and find a place – with some real meaning behind it  – for the Cash for Caulkers program.

As a massive offshore oil drilling spill threatens the Gulf coast, the federal approval of the offshore wind farm project Cape Wind could not have been better timed.

As I’ve written previously, a couple friends of mine recently wrapped production on a years-long documentary of the fierce battle between Gordon’s supporters and detractors – the result, Cape Wind: The Fight for the Future of Power in America premieres soon and should be an exceptional inside look at a battle that has had national implications for America’s energy future. In light of Salazar’s exciting decision, and the incongruity of the implications of wind power and the drilling tragedy in the Gulf, I am sharing a headline from the Huffington Post I came across recently: “BREAKING: LARGE AIR SPILL AT WIND FARM. NO THREATS REPORTED. SOME CLAIM TO ENJOY THE BREEZE. “

American ethanol producers like Poet Energy recently kicked off the industry's first national television campaign.

I’ve recently noticed a flood of television ads from “Poet” Energy touting the upsides of ethanol biofuel – in one, a young woman in a lab coat stands in Times Square and proclaims that she is a part-time scientist, full-time Poet (cute) – and I wondered, who is Poet Energy? Well, apparently, they are the world’s largest ethanol producer and these TV spots are the beginning of their first national television advertising campaign, according to Ethanol Producer magazine.

Poet isn’t the only producer of corn-based ethanol, or “America’s fuel,” as advocates call it, to begin a major ad campaign this month. Growth Energy, represented by such big-wigs as former General (and presidential aspirant) Wesley Clark, also kicked off TV spots this month. Growth’s simple ads flash dramatic oneliners like ““No beaches have been closed due to ethanol spills,” and “We won’t have to wait millions of years to replenish our ethanol reserves,” driving home a clear message: support ethanol and you support a clean, independent source of energy. According to EP, ethanol producers don’t believe they have been given enough credit within the recent push for homegrown energy sources, likely because ethanol has previously been associated with destructive farming practices that are, according to Growth CEO Buis, a far cry from how the industry operates today.

Getting a fair shot at home doesn’t seem to be the only reason, however, that American ethanol producers are angling for a turn in the spotlight. According to the National Journal, companies like Growth and Poet are also stepping up efforts to discourage U.S. lawmakers from allowing a 54 cent tariff on imported Brazilian sugarcane ethanol to expire at the end of 2010. While Americans can produce sugarcane ethanol, it is predominantly grown in Brazil, where it too is criticized for environmentally suspect methods of production. Brazil recently announced that it will lift its tariff on imported U.S. ethanol, while also claiming that sugarcane ethanol averages 50 cents less per gallon than corn ethanol. It’s seems pretty clear that Brazil is playing hardball, and U.S. producers are fighting back, with these multi-million dollar campaigns. Whatever happens, it’s been interesting to finally get a look at the players in the ethanol market, which certainly does go unnoticed amidst renewable stars like solar and wind.

Fluff alert!! Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and another green jobs photo op.

Check out the Labor Department site and you will see that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was all over Earth Day today – naturally, the 40 year celebration of Mother Earth is an opportune occasion to highlight her agency’s efforts in green job building. But if you check out the Dept’s “full report”  on green jobs, (at 10 pages) you will see lots of cool pictures of Solis strolling confidently through solar plants but not a ton of data. It’s a little disappointing, but I guess the PR opportunity was there and the Labor Dept decided to just go with it. Of course, the report did acknowledge the $490 million that was awarded for green jobs training under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but that’s nothing new at all. How about an update on that funding? What training programs have been successful? What are the conversion rates for older workers into new careers in green building or energy industries? What are the sign up rates for young people in vocational tech programs like solar installation? Are new degree programs being explored, to accommodate the need for intellectual investment in homegrown energy technology? These are the sorts of questions that should be answered in a “green jobs report,” not another picture of Hilda Solis looking good in industrial plant gear! C’mon guys.

Office with a view: Foster City, CA-based SolarCity is hiring for a range of roles to support its growing solar installation business.

A few days back, I wrote about the impressive growth in the residential solar market in 2009. One company that has caught these headwinds is SolarCity, a Foster City, CA-based solar leasing company that notably offers “no-money-down” leases for home solar installations. Apparently, more and more consumers are now taking SolarCity up on its offer – the San Jose Mercury News reports that the company added almost 300 jobs last year and anticipates adding another 250 in 2010. A spokesman for the company emphasized that these jobs were full-time, full benefits jobs – in my mind, an attractive transition for all those laid-off home contractors out there.

A quick scan of some job posting boards shows SolarCity isn’t just tossing around hiring claims for good press – they are indeed hiring, for a wide range of gigs. Take a look at Indeed.com, and you can see SolarCity is hiring everyone from installers to sales to brand management – the field or the corporate office – take your pick!

Residential solar projects doubled their growth in 2009, likely driven by federal and state solar installation tax credits.

What does this all mean? It means steep reductions in solar costs for the residential consumer and … my favorite … good jobs! Dow Jones reports that the solar industry added 10,000 jobs in 2009, to round out at 46,000 total workers in the U.S. solar industry. Driving this demand demand is the $270 million of federal grants the government is doling out to solar project owners, and for consumers, credits like California’s 7.5% state income tax credit on the purchase and installation costs of home solar or wind energy systems.

Though credits like California’s have been widely reported, I wonder if tax season will be able to really drive it home. Seeing it on your return – and the credits available – could hit the right note with those on-the-fence consumers.

A moratorium on drilling stands in New York, as the state works through regulatory process with “no timeline,” according to DEC spokesman Yancey Roy. Many expect New York to eventually approve drilling on its stake in the Marcellus Shale, but as Pennsylvania still works out its environmental controls – five PA wells were slapped with violations last month – is shale drilling in New York really worth it? I’m writing about that now, for a feature class @ NYU – so for the time being, enjoy some images…

Towanda, PA. If this was a wider shot, you'd see cows grazing to the left. Wonder what they think of their new neighbors...

A producing well (post-drilling). A well like this could produce for up to 30 years, though most output will occur in its first 10.

These orange stakes, ribbons whipping, dot the Bradford County countryside. They are almost comically modest - if one of these spots proves to hold enough shale gas, the landowner just hit the jackpot.

Yet still needed, Summers said, is “comprehensive” energy legislation, to instill confidence in producers and consumers alike.

“Clarity brings certainty, certainty brings confidence and confidence moves the economy forward,” Summers said.

No surprises: Arizona's First Solar will use federal incentives to hire 200 American workers - yet 71 percent of its manufacturing needs will still be met by foreign labor.

From BBW:

“Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar Inc. plans to do 71 percent of its manufacturing hiring in Malaysia after getting $16.3 million in federal funding to hire 200 people at an Ohio plant.”

Herein lies the ultimate problem – the economics of outsourcing the majority of manufacturing needs still makes sense to companies, incentives or not. Unfortunately, this simple reality doesn’t quiet any of the political outrage – especially as the Obama administration attempts to make good on its promise of 700,000 new jobs in stimulus renewables projects.

A green “industrial revolution” right here in America sounds great to some people – me included. This very blog was created to educate myself and others on the potentials for American labor in a new energy economy. Yet how the Obama administration is supposed to leapfrog over simple economics – foreign labor is, in my cases, simply cheaper – is still unclear to me. Perhaps it really is time that our nation’s expectations are shifted towards the potentials that lie in specialization and competitive advantage. CNBC recently ran a days-long debate on this topic, and the discussion turned often to where our best efforts should lie: in advanced education and innovation or in heavy industry and brawn. I believe Obama’s energy policies intended to do both – boosting Silicon Valley and Pittsburgh too. But is this really an economic reality? Perhaps not. “Green tech” manufacturing seems likelier to catch headwinds, i.e., manufacturing roles that place a heavy emphasis on innovation and other specialties, like low-carbon technology. But putting American steelworkers back to work building solar panels? Even with training and workforce investment, as U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis promised in this manufacturing summit on CNBC, this is a tall order. I’ll continue to entertain the idea (dream). But in the meantime, let’s not be surprised when we continue to lose certain types of jobs overseas – even better, let’s plan for it.

Better Place CEO Moshe Kaplinksy is working fast towards a new world for transportation - and has $350 million in Series B venture funding to show for it.

First, the good news:  Q1 marked a record quarter in cleantech, not only in the recording of 181 deals – a landmark – but also in sketching that “sharp up and to the right” quarterly growth that we all love to see.

“The death of clean tech venture capital – I think we can firmly say that is not happening, said Sheeraz Haji, President of Cleantech Group. ”Clean tech venture is back, it’s back strong.”

Next, the less good news, well for solar and all those capital-intensive projects anyways – though Q1 marked a record high in venture deals for the sector, it did not mark a record high in capital raised. Valuations are still down, Haji noted, and the funds that are being dished out are going towards “follow-on financing,” or those companies past the Series B round. Two losers are emerging: those in need of early stage capital, i.e., holding the burden of proof, and those whose capital needs exceed the amount a fund is willing to put in. While federal incentives remain for investment in wind and solar technologies, venture funds seem to be  hyper-conscious of the regulatory and capital challenges – such as land use issues – that exist in solar/wind plays.

So who is getting all those deals? Ironically, those who aim to save power – and cash. Energy-efficiency projects, including smart grids, LED lighting, and battery technology are the hot spot for development right now, says Cleantech. The $217 million that flowed into efficiencies last quarter was also likely because of continued federal incentives for utilities and corporations alike to improve their energy profile.

Finally, transportation was “off the charts” in dollar value for Q1 – a $704 million quarterly dominance that was driven by a couple of big deals. A $350 million Series B round for Better Place, followed by $140 million for Fisker Automotive – developer of plug-in hybrid cars – shows that those cap limits mentioned earlier will be tossed aside for a good auto play. Personally, I think Fisker is really exciting – let’s make a good American car!