Extreme weather — the kind that affects transportation, the power grid, and general productivity — is rarely the result of one cause, rather a combination of factors. Unpreparedness, bad weather, and thousands of outstanding repairs combined were just a few of the factors that all came together at the same time, contributing to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

For those of us who don’t see the devastation Hurricane Sandy caused, an announcement this week is a reminder that the region still has a long way to go in terms of cleanup. Federal officials announced, four months after the storm the first $390 million in aid for East Coast transportation agencies has been released. That means transportation agencies can begin to be reimbursed for the repair costs they fronted.

In addition to reimbursing transportation agencies for repair costs, part of the aid is slated to be spent on resiliency and mitigation to protect against future hurricanes and extreme weather. The bad news is that the budget cuts as a result of the sequester cut federal aid by five percent, weakening agencies’ ability to fund transportation and mitigation since repairs are the first priority.

It seems the more we learn about our ability prevent breakdowns like  those that took place during Hurricane Sandy, the more we have reason to be concerned.

Bookending the concerning news that transportation aid is finally reaching those who need it, a report out this week finds that most insurance companies do not have comprehensive strategies to cope with climate change despite mounting weather-related claims. Of 184 companies surveyed, only 23 had strategies to cope with climate change, and 13 of those that did were foreign-owned, according to report by Ceres.

Since weather-related disasters cost an estimated $100 billion in damages last year, insurance companies can’t afford to bury their heads in the sand on climate change. Neither can anyone else, including the federal government.

The bills from this one storm are adding up. Even a cursory cost-benefit analysis can show that we’d be better off finding ways to prevent all of this damage from happening in the first place. That’s why recognizing the reality of climate change and preparing for it is so important. Strengthening clean energy investments and efforts to curb carbon pollution must continue to be a priority today and into the future. We can’t afford the alternative. 

The following blog post is from Andreas Marcotty, Legislative and Policy Aide for the BlueGreen Alliance.

Here at the BlueGreen Alliance, we believe a variety of clean energy sources will power a 21^st century clean economy.  But wind holds a special place in our hearts as a vast and vital resource.  We aren’t alone in that sentiment either, as development in the industry has pushed installed capacity up by 35% in just 5 years and action on clean energy tax credits has become a presidential campaign issue and adopted and encouraged by Fortune 500 companies. 

While the job creation (and job loss) potential for the American wind industry is very real, we think it’s important to draw attention to the 1,300 gigwatt gorilla in the room: Atlantic coast offshore wind.  With no operating facilities in the United States, offshore wind remains a gleam in the eye for those wishing to power this country with strong renewable energy and create good jobs while they’re at it.  

Thankfully, those with big plans for offshore wind have been busy! The Obama administration has taken leaps and bounds, streamlining processes for siting offshore wind facilities and developers have been racing for the title of “First in the Water”, while contending with the financial ebb and flow of looming tax program expirations.  

Despite political rhetoric, Americans seem to be on the same page in their support for renewable energy, according to recent polls, with wind being a popular choice, specifically offshore, in states with considerable stake in the game.  Institutions and advocates have been doing what they do best to turn the volume up on this exciting call to action.  

BlueGreen Alliance partner the National Wildlife Federation released a comprehensive update on the state-of-play of offshore wind in the United States, revealing an impressive body of work waiting to come to fruition for American energy consumers.  Stanford researchers drew attention to offshore wind’s unique availability in comparison to onshore with an impressive quantification of the actual offshore wind resource in relation to US electricity needs, revealing that one-third of the United States or the entire eastern seaboard from Maine to Florida could be powered by offshore wind.  

This is what we are talking about when we talk about potential.  

Fast-forward less than a month, to this week, where the American Wind Energy Association hosted its 2012 Offshore Windpower Conference in Virginia Beach, creating the largest meeting of the minds on the subject, at a pivotal moment in the industry’s history.  Among the many announcements that have been made, was one by Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC), a company backed by Google, and hoping to create a unifying transmission root system for potential offshore wind turbine forests along the Atlantic coast. 

AWC announced the findings of a report showing that with the construction of 7 GW of offshore wind capacity (enough to power over 2 million homes), over 170,000 jobs would be created in the region, adding $19 billion to US GDP and federal, state and local revenues by $4.6 billion. That breaks down to 70,000 direct jobs in manufacturing components; 40,000 jobs along the supply chain; and 50,000 jobs from the induced economic impact.  

At a time when employment numbers teeter on decimal points and some of the greatest industrial sectors of the American economy are scrapping for all the work they can get, AWC’s report provides the latest salvo in support of renewable, American energy that uplifts across the board, supporting high-quality job creation in areas we, as a country, need it most.  

It is enough that our massive offshore wind resources can play a foundational role in an energy portfolio for the United States.  But what this report, and those previous, imply is a newer, more considered trend to how we approach energy policy for the 21^st century. By developing our energy and its infrastructure in a manner that includes the sustainability of the resource, the compounded effects of its use, and its implications for the American economy, more broadly, we make smarter, longer-term investments. 

The establishment of a robust offshore wind industry in the United States would represent a concerted effort towards advanced energy for our future.  Turning this potential into reality will, for now, require the support of state and federal governments.  Renewable Portfolio Standards and the implementation of specific offshore wind programs, such as New Jersey’s “OREC” program drive regional growth. The Investment Tax Credit for offshore wind specifically, has passed out of the Senate Finance Committee and awaits reciprocal action in the House.  You can urge your congressman to support it. 

So while there are some hurdles ahead for an American-made offshore industry, and it is important we continue to work for its responsible and effective development, it seems that more and more people are confident in knowing which way the wind blows.

New Chart and Graphic Shows State-By-State Breakdown of Jobs Created, Gasoline Saved, Net Savings to Consumers and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction 

With the imminent Obama Administration announcement of historic fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles (54.5 miles per gallon, on average, by 2025), the BlueGreen Alliance and the Natural Resources Defense Council have assembled a detailed accounting of the huge benefits that are projected to accrue by the year 2030. 

The data include a state-by-state breakdown of the 570,000 jobs that could be created in the United States by 2030 — as well as other benefits from the standard. In addition to the jobs created, the country will save nearly 23 billion of gasoline in 2030 alone, resulting in $54 billion in net savings to consumers and the reduction of 270 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution, which helps cause global warming. 

The upcoming 54.5 mpg standards promise to bolster the strong automobile recovery we are seeing today. The chart and graphics with state-by-state numbers can be found below. Click them to see the larger version.

2030 State Benefits of Achieving 54.5 mpg-equivalent Fleet Average in Model Year 2025 

Sources: Natural Resources Defense Council and BlueGreen Alliance

• State fuel and pollution savings are from analysis by NRDC. These figures update and augment similar tables provided in NRDC’s “Relieving Pain at the Pump” publication from April 2012. Main adjustments include updates to fuel prices and vehicle miles traveled per the latest forecasts in the Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2012.
• State jobs figures are from BlueGreen Alliance’s analysis for “Gearing Up: Smart Standards Create Good Jobs Building Cleaner Cars”, June 2012. 

Table 1: Jobs Created and Annual Consumer Savings of Model Year 2017 to 2025 Standards in 2030

For additional background information on the new fuel efficiency standards, see http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/plehner/obama_administration_set_to_fi.html. 

Joining Forces…

Today marks the beginning of a very exciting new endeavor. With 24 million Americans still out of work or unable to find full-time work, the BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance announced a merger to strengthen and unify the movement to build a 21^st century clean energy economy to fuel U.S. job creation. The newly unified organization will call on Washington to focus anew on creating good jobs, securing America’s energy future and preserving the environment for future generations. We now represent the strongest, most unified voice for a clean energy, good jobs, made in America economy.

Beginning July 1, the two organizations will combine to become the BlueGreen Alliance which will be home to the Apollo Alliance project. Together, the BlueGreen Alliance and the Apollo Alliance project will engage with labor, environmental, business and community leaders across the country to advance a bold vision of how we can transform our energy future and, at the same time, create good jobs and rebuild our economy.

The announcement was made on a press conference call with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers, Co-Chair of the BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance board member, Phil Angelides, Chairman of the Apollo Alliance, Carl Pope, Chairman of the Sierra Club, Co-Chair of the BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance board member, and David Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance.

They were joined on the call by Senator Brown (D-OH) who announced new legislation — the Strengthening Manufacturing and Rebuilding Transit (SMART) Act — that would invest in American-made transportation infrastructure. The legislation is aimed at enhancing domestic transportation supply chains while maximizing job creation in manufacturing. Supporting the SMART Act was the first step the newly unified organization took together to create good, green jobs in the 21^st Century economy.

“Nearly three years after the bottom fell out of our economy, we are still facing a jobs crisis of historic proportions,” said Leo W. Gerard. “We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines while the U.S. misses the boat on the industries of the 21^st century — the biggest job-creating opportunity in a generation. That is why the BlueGreen Alliance and the Apollo Alliance are joining together today — to build a stronger movement to create good jobs that protect the environment for the next generation.”

“Today, with this collaboration and our support for Senator Brown’s SMART Act, we are sending a powerful message that our highest priority must be to build an economy of good jobs and broadly shared prosperity in place of the financial speculation and recklessness that brought our economy to its knees,” said Phil Angelides. “Together, we are committed to building a new green economy for America's future that will meet the convergent threats of climate change, dependence on foreign oil, and unacceptable joblessness.”

“We are thrilled that two great organizations will become one effort to build a stronger, renewed movement to create the good jobs of the 21^st century economy — the jobs that will help us to move to a clean, renewable energy economy, reduce pollution and break our country’s dependence on foreign oil,” said Carl Pope. “Protecting the planet and building a stronger, more prosperous economy for everyone are inextricably linked, and today, this movement becomes that much stronger.”

Our work ahead…

The invigorated organization will keep a keen focus on job creation. Earlier this year, the BlueGreen Alliance launched Jobs21! — a nine-state grassroots campaign calling for a national jobs plan to put America back to work building the industries of the 21^st century here in the United States. The initiative calls for investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation infrastructure and fuel-efficient vehicles, a smarter electrical grid, broadband Internet, recycling and green chemistry — industries that will create new jobs and markets in manufacturing, construction, education and many other sectors.

This initiative will be strengthened through coordination with the Apollo Alliance’s strong network of state and local affiliates — now dubbed BlueGreen Apollo Alliances — and by Apollo’s recently-launched Clean Transportation Manufacturing Action Plan (TMAP) project that calls for federal investment in clean transportation that will create 3.7 million direct and indirect jobs over six years and will save Americans up to $5,000 per family each year in commuting costs.

Add your voice to the movement…

Please take a moment to add your voice to growing number of people who are calling for a national jobs plan to build a 21^st century economy today at www.bluegreenalliance.org/jobs21.

The BlueGreen Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations working to expand the number and quality of jobs in the green economy. Launched in 2006 by the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club, the BlueGreen Alliance now unites 10 U.S. labor unions and four of America’s most influential environmental organizations — and their 14 million members and supporters — in pursuit of good jobs, a clean environment and a 21^st century economy.

The Apollo Alliance is a national coalition of environmental, labor, business and community leaders committed to building a clean energy, good jobs economy. Launched in 2003, Apollo’s diverse coalition has offered a bold vision to catalyze a clean energy economy to spur job growth by harkening back to President Kennedy’s visionary call to restore America’s technological leadership by landing the first man on the moon within the decade of the 1960’s.

When you think of sun and solar energy New Jersey isn’t usually the state that pops into your mind. But, recently, the state has been in the news for their efforts to create good jobs by utilizing solar energy.

The Newark Star-Ledger recently reported that the state’s Board of Public Utilities said the solar market is thriving in the Garden State.

From the article:

Incentives in the last decade have led to 8,000 projects around the state that generate 305 megawatts of electricity, the board reported, which is about enough power for 45,000 households.

Most of that solar power capacity was installed in the last year, according to the board.

Solar developments are rewarded by a state market requires power companies to either generate solar energy, buy the credits representing it, or make an alternative payment the state.

The board hopes to have 368 megawatts of solar energy capacity in place by next year, and said today that solar projects are on track to beat that goal.

New Jersey Spotlight reports rates have increased slightly over the past year, but that the state is now second only behind California in the amount of power garnered from the sun. And, solar advocates point to the hundreds of businesses created in the last eight years dealing with the solar sector as proof of job growth from the investment.

One example of solar energy at work in the state is in Edison, where what is believed to be the largest rooftop solar installation in the country recently came online. The 4.26-megawatt system is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 3,750 tons annually.  Over the lifetime of the system, that is equivalent to taking 1,000 SUV’s off the road or planting 3.5 million trees.

Thanks to a smart incentives — including the current energy master plan that calls for 30 percent renewable by 2020 and a Renewable Portfolio Standard adopted by state agencies of 22.5 percent —a solar energy boom is happening right now in New Jersey.

I guess there is plenty of sun shining in the Garden State.

It’s been two years since local, state and national clean energy, good jobs experts and advocates gathered in Brick City for Newark’s Green Future Summit and laid out new ideas for making the city a better place to live, work and play. The summit process culminated in the release of Imagining Newark’s Green Future: A Year Building the Green Economy which described priorities and action items for green economic development, green buildings, and green open space.

Since that time steady progress has been made towards Newark’s green future by its dedicated citizens and public servants. Here are just some of the highlights of what’s been accomplished:

• Establishment of a Sustainability Office and hiring of a sustainability officer to advance Newark’s green agenda in collaboration with community partners and other city agencies.
• Formation of an Environmental Commission, which guides city efforts and, in partnership with the sustainability officer, drafted a stormwater ordinance, sustainable land use ordinance, green building ordinance, and green procurement ordinance.
• ARRA funded planning process to create a sustainability action plan for the next five years in the areas of greenhouse gas reduction, energy use, asthma-associated air pollution, water management, and waste management.
• Public commitment that sustainability principles will be considered in every aspect of the city’s revised master plan.
• Creation of the Park Works youth training program.
• Establishment of the Solar Panel Energy Savings & Training Project to increase the city’s solar infrastructure and to train and certify Newark residents in solar installation.
• Creation of green career tracks in Newark’s vocational technical high schools.
• Launch of community/labor partnership to train Newark residents in weatherization.
• Community outreach on energy saving opportunities for households and businesses.
• Distribution of compact fluorescent bulbs to residents in collaboration with Project Porchlight.
• Participation in a pilot project to reduce emissions, save gas, and raise awareness about efficient vehicles by leasing Mini Coopers to city staff.
• ARRA funded project to build compressed natural gas infrastructure for sanitation fleets.
• Installation of solar panels on a municipal garage in a public-private partnership between the City of Newark, Western Solutions, and the Urban Environmental Institute in conjunction with a training program for local youth.
• Large scale tree planting initiative to create urban forests in target neighborhoods.Major park renovation and expansion initiative in a public-private partnership with GreenSpaces and the Trust for Public Land.Expansion of the “Adopt-a –Lot” program to turn small lots into gardens and pocket parks.
• Launch of the “Clean and Green” training program in partnership with the Greater Newark Conservancy to train formerly incarcerated residents in landscaping and stormwater management.
• Launch of a city interdepartmental “Green Team” to promote sustainability, increase recycling, and reduce toxics.Plans to retrofit at least 14 municipal buildings following energy audits.
• Brick City Development Corporation program to get healthier foods into small grocery stores.
• Expansion of urban farming efforts by Garden State Urban Farms (formerly Brick City Urban Farms) and Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District.
• ARRA funded remediation of brownfields back to productive use including workforce training elements and community advisory groups.
• Application to the state’s Sustainable New Jersey program to become a certified sustainable community.

Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance says, “As Newark’s successful model demonstrates, the key ingredients (to transform struggling areas) are innovative leadership, community engagement, and of course, hard work.” This list of achievements represents truly impressive progress and exemplifies all of these things. The Apollo Alliance applauds the leaps and bounds that are being made towards Newark’s green future.

The Philadelphia Inquirer published a story July 31 recounting the story of Ronald Tucker, a sheet metal worker in South Jersey who, after being laid off in March, enrolled in green jobs training in his area.

With traditional manufacturing dwindling in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, leaders in both states have turned to "green jobs" to fill at least some of the void.

They have been cheered on by business, labor, and environmentalists alike.

"In light of the very serious unemployment problem we have, we need to quickly ramp up the scale of these new investments, so we get our factories working again, so we get our workers up off the bench and working again," said David Foster, executive director of the Blue Green Alliance, a collaboration formed by the steel workers and Sierra Club. The alliance, since expanded to other unions, promotes the idea of creating jobs through environmentally friendly investments.

Read the full story.

LIUNA participated in today's Middle Class Task Force meeting hosted by Vice President Joe Biden in Denver Colorado. The meeting focused on creating green jobs for working people.

LIUNA General President Terry O'Sullivan and a LIUNA member from Newark, New Jersey were invited to talk about LIUNA's nationwide training programs - particularly a program in Newark that is preparing workers for good, green jobs by training them to make homes energy efficient.

"Our residential weatherization initiative is about creating hope, opportunity and middle class jobs through training and education," said O'Sullivan. "It's about protecting the environment, freeing our country from foreign oil and creating green jobs that are good jobs."

Here more about Newark program or visit LIUNA online.