In her post-election press conference yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) affirmed her desire that a new economic stimulus plan — which could be taken up in a lame-duck session of Congress later this month — include green measures:
The economy, of course, is the top item on the agenda as we go forward, and we’ll all be planning what happens in January when we meet with the new President-elect. But even before then, we have a stimulus package on the table that I hope the Republicans in the Senate will allow to be taken up in a lame duck session, and the communication with the White House about such a stimulus package to grow our economy by creating jobs and to do it in a newer, greener way; to recognize the unemployment situation in our country by extending unemployment insurance; to understand that people are hungry in America, to provide additional emergency food assistance; and to give help to the states for their health needs for seniors and for children and other needs that they have.
Central to the job creation issue is the strong piece for rebuilding the infrastructure of America, again, in a way that reduces our dependence on foreign oil and that creates good green jobs in America. That is the first order of business that we will have, if it appears to have an opportunity, then we will have a lame duck session to take it up, but again, those conversations are still taking place with the White House.
