Bob Olson: American-Made Energy Offers Chance for Economic Boom

American-Made Energy Offers Chance for Economic Boom

For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott

ANOKA—Bob Olson, a DFL candidate in the 6th Congressional District, had the following opinion article published today on Minnesota Campaign Report.

In the piece, pasted below, Olson provides a short outline on how sustainable energy development can serve as an economic boom for America in much the same way the Internet did a decade ago.

American-Made Energy Offers Chance for Economic Boom
By Bob Olson

Short-term economic stimulus plans in Washington are almost as plentiful as lobbyists. Everyone seems to have at least one: the president, those who want to become president, representatives, senators and probably even a few interns in the White House and on Capitol Hill.

But all of these plans share a critical flaw: they're short-term. Extending unemployment benefits and providing tax rebates/other breaks to middle-income families is fine (and very necessary), but if we want to create the kind of sustainable, long-term recovery America needs we have to look further down the field.

Every great economic boom of the last century has followed some kind of major societal shift or technological advance—like the invention of the automobile at the turn of the 1900s, the migration to the suburbs in the middle of the 20th century or the commercialization of the Internet in the 1990s.

We have to capture that kind of magic again and we can. The answer is right here in Minnesota: renewable energy.

Our business community, farmers, universities, state Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty have been leaders in this critically important area. Now it's time for Congress and the president to follow.

To read the entire article, click here.