President Obama was swept into office on the wings of change and he vowed to usher in a new era of open government. He promised to tackle environmental challenges, pass comprehensive climate change legislation, spur the growth of the green economy and make significant upgrades in the nation’s decaying infrastructure. Social issues, such as workplace safety and diversity, were promised centre stage and the tax code was to be rewritten to place America on a sounder economic footing. Corporate America was to be held accountable and more socially responsible business practices were placed on the agenda.

He oversaw the most productive Congress in decades, but a number of challenges, including the lingering economic crisis, the Gulf oil spill and the Arab Spring democratic movement in the Middle East have sidetracked the President’s agenda, and placed a strain on his ambitious intentions. Obama has himself said that a president must “walk and chew gum at the same time,” so we decided to rank the nation’s top executive on the clean capitalism progress he has made so far, focusing on environmental, social and governance issues.

SCALE: The President begins each term with a C average and his grade moves up or down depending on his success or failure during his term in the White House, with major assignments weighted accordingly.

21st-century Energy Policy: C

√√ Stimulus plan included more than $80 billion for the generation of renewable energy sources, expanding manufacturing capacity for clean energy technology and advancing vehicle and fuel technologies.

xxx There has been a failure to come up with a comprehensive energy policy that reduces reliance on fossil fuels and moves the US firmly towards a secure green energy future.

√ The amount of solar jobs doubled from 2009 to 2010, and job growth is anticipated to be 26 per cent over the next year.

Pollution Reduction: C+

√√√ EPA is moving forward on the unilateral regulation of greenhouse gases, starting with power plants by the end of 2011.

xxx Comprehensive climate change legislation failed to pass in the 111th Congress, after bipartisan negotiations between Senators Graham, Lieberman and Kerry failed.

√ After appointing a Great Lakes Czar and setting up the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with $450 million in 2009, the push to clean up the great lakes has stalled, as funding has been sharply reduced.

Transportation: A-

√√√ A deal was struck with automakers to raise automobile fuel efficiency standards to an industry average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016. The number currently on the table for the next round of CAFE standards (2017–2025) is 56.2 mpg. This deal marked the most significant government action to improve automobile fuel efficiency since 1975.

√ The most significant expenditure on high-speed rail ever was recorded, with $10.1 billion provided so far through stimulus and appropriation money.

√ The stimulus spent more than $48 billion on transportation infrastructure, but most of that money went to road construction. The Tiger II grants, along with the joint venture DOT, EPA and HUD Partnership for Sustainable Cities, are a step in the right direction, as they significantly deemphasized road projects while adding livability criteria to grant allocation, but much more in needed on this front.

Pollution Reduction: C+

√√√ EPA is moving forward on the unilateral regulation of greenhouse gases, starting with power plants by the end of 2011.

√ The most significant expenditure on high-speed rail ever was recorded, with $10.1 billion provided so far through stimulus and appropriation money.