Tuesday, on the day the state of California achieved a milestone by launching it’s first ever cap-and-trade auction (see our statement of support), a new poll was released that showed that voters in three Western states have significant support for clean energy and innovative infrastructure. The poll was made public at Greenbuild 2012 in San Francisco, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, and was conducted on behalf of the BlueGreen Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Ceres, and the U.S. Green Building Council by Lake Research Partners. 

According to the poll, 56 percent of voters in Washington, Oregon and California favor a proposal to “reduce climate pollution and invest in clean energy by charging large companies for the pollution they create that contributes to climate change.” Only 20 percent oppose it, while 24 percent are undecided. Additionally, voters were overwhelmingly in favor of updating America’s innovative infrastructure, with 71 percent in favor of clean fuels, electric vehicles, bus rapid transit and commuter rail. 

Voters said they support these efforts because they believe we have a responsibility for future generations and that investments in clean energy and infrastructure can provide good middle class jobs that won’t be outsourced to other countries. 

Looking at the graph below, it’s clear there is tremendous support for clean energy and innovation infrastructure investments.

The clean economy and the infrastructure to power it are going to be at the forefront of economic growth long into our future. Seeing that people recognize that, as well as the economic opportunity growing clean energy and innovative infrastructure will provide, is heartening. 

Now, we need to make sure our elected leaders hear our voices in support of policies that will spur growth, like the Production Tax Credit for wind energy and other vital tax incentives for clean energy. Please take a moment and urge your members of Congress to extend the Production Tax Credit to save American jobs now, create American jobs for the future, and ensure we leave a better environment and economy for future generations of Americans. 

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. 

"By fostering the development of the next generation of green materials, Oregon has the opportunity to demonstrate national leadership and a commitment to the quality of life that Oregonians value. Ultimately, successful innovation will create good jobs that are safer for workers and offer a high quality of life for our communities, enhancing opportunities and resources for future generations. By applying green chemistry, Oregon will be able to address some of our most significant sustainability related challenges head on. In doing so, we will be supporting the health and well-being of our citizens and protecting the resiliency of the ecosystems we depend upon. ” –Executive Order from Oregon Governor John Kitzbahber’s

America would do well to follow down the path taken by Oregon on Friday when Gov. Kitzhaber signed an executive order saying state agencies will endeavor to use new, green chemical alternatives instead of their traditional toxic counterparts. In signing the Executive Order, Kitzbahber made a smart choice to make Oregonians safer and bring national attention — and undoubtedly dollars — to the state.

While states are taking the lead in reforming our outdated chemical policies, leaders in Congress are still struggling to reform America’s outdated Toxic Chemicals Act of 1976 (TSCA). It has been known for a long time that TSCA is woefully inadequate to police the chemicals industry. Since TSCA was enacted in 1976, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only been able to require testing of 200 chemicals — that is 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals produced and used in the U.S. since. In fact, every since the federal courts ruled that TSCA does not give the EPA to power to ban asbestos — a material which has been banned in 40 other countries because of its proven link to cancer and other fatal lung diseases — the EPA has stopped trying to use the law to restrict chemicals.

The good news is moving America away from toxic chemicals and to their greener alternatives, will not only make us safer, it makes complete economic sense. In 2011, we released a report that found reforming our broken federal chemical policies could reverse the chemical industry’s 20-year decline in employment while also lowing industry costs and making the overall industry competitive internationally.

Updating our chemical laws won’t be easy; if it were, this obvious win-win for the economy and American people would have already been passed. Green chemistry supporters in Oregon encountered resistance too, and Kitzbahber only signed this Executive Order after efforts in the legislature failed.

Congratulations to Oregon for being wise enough to take make this smart choice. Now, it’s time for the federal government to follow the lead of the states and fix our broken system.

Read more about the announcement on OPB News and Portland Business Journal’s Sustainable Business Oregon.

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.

The U.S. Labor Department reported today that 48 states and the District of Columbia saw their unemployment conditions deteriorate in May - with Michigan's unemployment souring to 14.1 percent.

Eight states hit record unemployment rates, including California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

This comes a day after a report was released showing that clean energy investments can create jobs, and lots of them. A report by the Center for American Progress and PERI showed that 1.7 million jobs could be created with a $150 billion clean energy investment, the foundation for which could be set with a combination of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The latter is expected to be voted on next week in the House of Representatives.

This report also showed that each of these eight states stands to gain jobs with clean energy investments: California with 175,000 jobs, 11,000 jobs in Nevada, 51,000 jobs in North Carolina, 21,000 jobs in Oregon, 5,000 in Rhode Island, 25,000 in South Carolina, 95,000 Florida and 59,000 jobs in Georgia.