President Barack Obama announced on August 7 that he plans to put his "We Can't Wait" energy efficiency initiative onto the fast-track, moving forward with the construction of seven clean power projects in states throughout the country.

In his plan, the president seeks to create jobs and invigorate local economies across the nation, while also decreasing America's dependence on fossil fuels to power homes and businesses.

"As part of President Obama's all-of-the-above strategy to expand domestic energy production and strengthen the economy, we are working to advance smart development of renewable energy on our public lands," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in a press release.

Over the past three years, the Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved 31 renewable energy facilities nationwide, surpassing the total number of projects supported by any administration over the past two decades. Once constructed, the DOI estimates that these new facilities will have the ability to power up to 2.3 million homes.

The projects are concentrated primarily in Western States, utilizing landscapes that are prime for solar and wind energy harvesting. These include a massive wind farm in Arizona that will provide power to an estimated 30,000 homes throughout the state, as well as solar facilities in California and Nevada.

According to the press document, the government will be announcing more clean energy projects in the coming weeks as part of the We Can't Wait initiative, which the president launched back in March.

The long-term goal of this government initiative is to decrease the energy consumption of all American households. An energy audit can help interested homeowners see what ways they can get involved in the efforts to reduce energy waste nationwide.