Democrats in $7bn plan to turn US green

By Leonard Doyle in Washington
The Independent

America's politicians are waking up to the moneymaking and job creation possibilities of combating global warming and challenging the Bush administration to invest in a new generation of "green-collar" jobs.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives wants to spend almost $7bn (£3.5bn) in the coming year to reduce the nation's enormous carbon footprint. This has put it on a collision course with the White House, which remains in denial about the dangers of global warming.

A major clash is expected between the White House and Congress in the autumn, with President George Bush sceptical of the Democrats' newfound enthusiasm for the environment. The best way to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil is to drill for more, he believes.

The oil industry is keen to open up vast new areas off Alaska's coast for drilling. The rising temperatures, brought on by global warming, have made this a possibility, which the industry wants to exploit.

But, pressed by an increasingly environmentally aware public, Democratic politicians are pushing green initiatives. The leading Democratic presidential candidates are also pushing for change and holding out the prospect of new environment-centred jobs to replace the hundreds of thousands already outsourced to Asia.

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