(Host) Senator Bernie Sanders says federal policy should encourage the creation of "green jobs" that can reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.
Sanders chaired a hearing in Washington Tuesday about what states and cities across the country are doing in the field.
He says the local initiatives hold great promise.
(Sanders) "I see a revitalized American manufacturing base where instead of importing 90 percent of the batteries used in hybrid vehicles, 46 percent of solar PV cells and modules and half of all wind turbines used in the U.S., we can be producing these products right here in the United States of America."
(Host) Sanders says the United States spends 450 billion dollars a year importing foreign oil. He says he wants to see more of that money spent investing in technology that moves the United States toward renewable energy and alternative fuel vehicles.
Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss also testified about some of the local initiatives the city has pursued.