Secretary Vilsack: It Gets Better

Posted by White House

Editor's note: This blog post is cross-posted from the USDA's Blog

If you have ever been bullied, Secretary Vilsack wants you to know that it gets better.

The "It Gets Better" project is a website that aims to inspire hope for young people facing harassment because they are gay or perceived to be gay. With over 15 million views the website encourages people to submit videos to show LGBT youth that despite the bullying, it does indeed get better. Secretary Vilsack recently joined the movement and submitted his own video because he wants LGBT youth – especially youth in small-town and rural America – to know that they are never alone.

I hope that you take a moment to watch the Secretary’s video submission to the "It Gets Better" project. It's important for LGBT youth of rural America, as well as their family members and friends to know that there are resources available and folks willing to help.

Thank you so much, and I hope that you too will take a stand to stop bullying in your community.

Resources:

If you’re a young person who’s been bullied or harassed by your peers, or you’re a parent or teacher who knows a young person being bullied or harassed, here are a few resources that can help you:

The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LBGTQ youth by providing resources and a nationwide, 24 hour hotline. If you are considering suicide or need help, call: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386).

BullyingInfo.org
BullyingInfo.org is a project of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) focused on providing tools and resources for youth, parents, teachers and mental health providers to prevent and address bullying.

It Gets Better Project
President Obama's video and Vice President Biden’s video are just a couple of the thousands of videos submitted by people across the country to inspire and encourage LGBT youth who are struggling. You can watch more videos at ItGetsBetterProject.com.

For even more information and resources visit or call:

• Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)

• Matthew Shepard Foundation

• Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

National Suicide Lifeline 800-273-TALK (8255)

Building the Clean Energy Economy

Posted by White House

Since taking office, President Obama and his Administration have taken unprecedented steps to build a clean energy economy in this country. You may have already read about the events and announcements across the Administration in October on this front. I wanted to highlight a few items from the last couple of weeks:

• Helping Middle Class Families Save on Energy Bills. As part of our efforts to remove barriers standing in the way of a strong and sustainable home energy-efficiency industry, the Vice President announced several new agency initiatives that will help middle-class families save money on their energy bills.
• Helping Farmers and Small Businesses Reduce Energy Costs. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced $30 million in loans and grants that will generate and save energy for our nation's farmers and rural small businesses for decades to come. The loans and grants will go to more than 500 farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the country. In each case, the projects announced will cut energy costs by 25 to 65 percent, amounting to an estimated 2.9 million kilowatt hours of energy saved. Among other things, this funding will help replace outdated equipment, such as inefficient grain dryers, support energy production from anaerobic digesters, insulate buildings, and allow recipients to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations.
• Large Scale Solar Power on Public Lands. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar approved a large-scale solar energy project on U.S. public lands in Nevada – a 500-megawatt facility that will provide electricity to about 150,000 homes and create 1,300 construction jobs and up to 200 permanent operation jobs. Since early October, the Secretary has approved a total of eight large-scale solar energy projects that combined will generate 3,500 megawatts to power more than 1 million homes and create 6,000 construction jobs and 700 permanent plant operations jobs.
• Cars that Will Run on Compressed Natural Gas. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced an offer of a nearly $50 million conditional loan commitment that will support the development of the six-passenger MV-1, a factory-built wheelchair accessible vehicle that will run on compressed natural gas. The Vehicle Production Group estimates that the project is expected to create over 900 jobs and that it will produce approximately 22,650 vehicles per year when at full capacity.
• Greening the Federal Supply Chain. General Services Administrator Martha Johnson and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley recently announced a collaboration between the federal government and vendors and suppliers to create a greener and more efficient supply chain.
• Modernizing Our Electric Grid and Powering Electric Cars. Cathy Zoi, the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy, took part in a ribbon cutting at the first public curbside electric vehicle charging station here in the nation’s capital. The Department of Energy also awarded $19 million, as part of a public-private investment of more than $30 million, for five projects to increase reliability, efficiency and security of our nation’s electric grid.
  

Engaging Rural Communities Through State Fairs Across the Country

Posted by White House

Over the past three months, senior leaders from the Administration have been visiting state fairs across the country to meet fair visitors and rural leaders and discuss some of the ways that the Obama Administration is working to support rural communities. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and CPSC Chair Inez Tenenbaum are only a handful of the leaders who traveled around the country to enjoy the sites of the state fairs, meet 4-H and FFA young leaders, and discuss the ways that their agencies are working to support the Administration’s vision for keeping rural America strong.

During these visits, we heard firsthand how the economic downturn has created challenges in rural America as well as how rural communities are responding to the downturn by leading the charge on a number of important national priorities, such as increasing the production of renewable energy and reducing our dependence on foreign oil, creating and expanding small businesses, and contributing talent and energy to national service. Members of the Cabinet and other senior officials learned about the importance of agriculture education and supporting the development of the next generation of farmers and ranchers, talked about the Obama Administration’s commitment to making college more affordable and accessible for all students, and discussed the significant investments that are being made in rural communities thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The steps that the Administration has taken over the past two years to support rural communities – investing in critical rural infrastructure and education, improving access to affordable health care, reforming our financial regulatory systems, promoting biofuels and other renewable energy, and expanding exports, to name a few – are critical building blocks in our effort to keep America’s rural communities strong and vibrant.

Click here to see all the fairs Administration officials visited, and scroll over it for details.

Rural Communities, Our Economy and Our Energy

Posted by White House

Since taking office, President Obama has emphasized the critical role America’s rural communities play not only in our national economy but also in helping to tackle our nation’s toughest energy challenges.

Today, nearly all of the fuel that powers our cars, trucks, and aircraft currently comes from oil. This oil – half of which is imported from overseas – also accounts for over one-third of our total carbon emissions.

Yet in small towns and on family farms all across the country, a renewable fuels movement has gained momentum and is reducing our dependence on foreign oil, creating new jobs and industries, and cutting the pollution that contributes to climate change. This is why the President has and will continue to advocate for a robust biofuel industry as part of his comprehensive energy strategy.

The President has already made progress on this commitment by making significant investments to develop the biofuels industry. For example, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act included $800 million in ethanol fueling infrastructure, biorefinery construction, and advanced biofuels research. These investments will help put us on a path to reach the President’s ambitious goal of tripling America’s biofuel production by 2022. But more work remains to be done.

As Congress examines options for extending the biodiesel and ethanol tax credits, the Obama Administration believes in continued financial support for biofuels that can help us meet our energy security and environmental goals. Stakeholders have put forward reform ideas that would provide continued support for first generation ethanol and biodiesel, while simultaneously accelerating the development of infrastructure and research, development, and rapid deployment of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels, which will be increasingly important in the years to come. We share these priorities, and are in the beginning stages of engaging with key stakeholders to explore options for reform. At this point, no final policy decisions have been made, and we believe that the evaluation of any proposals should be informed and guided by a thorough understanding of what has been successful in the past as well as what is needed for the future. We look forward to an ongoing discussion to identify the policies that will help us achieve our long-term biofuels targets.

Ultimately, we need a set of policies that will catalyze the tremendous potential of renewable domestic biofuels in order to provide more energy security, cut pollution, and create new opportunities for America’s farmers from coast to coast. Look for a speech from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on October 21st for more details.

White House says sorry to worker fired for race slur

Posted by White House

WASHINGTON: The White House and the agriculture secretary have offered up an apology to Shirley Sherrod, a black federal employee who was been forced to resign after videotapes surfaced of her making remarks that initially sounded racially discriminatory.

"I think without a doubt Ms Sherrod is owed to an apology. I would do so certainly on behalf of this administration," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs have said.

The furor centered on a tape on the web of Sherrod's remarks, recalling her reluctance 24 years ago to help a white farmer and seeking government assistance. She had argued from the start that her talk was about the racial moderation and reconciliation, and that the posting took her speech out of context.