The BlueGreen Alliance, a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations, announced today that the organization has endorsed Senator Patty Murray for U.S. Senate in Washington.

Today the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Climate Policy Office (CPO) will announce new actions under the Federal Buy Clean Initiative to spur the development of low-carbon construction materials. Ahead of the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released a new white paper entitled Buy Clean: A Tool to Create Good Jobs, Cut Pollution, and Renew Manufacturing.

There are a number of ways that Buy Clean helps to ensure that government spending on infrastructure projects reduces pollution, revitalizes American manufacturing, and benefits workers and communities. Here are just a few, explored in more detail in a report entitled Buy Clean: A Tool to Create Good Jobs, Cut Pollution, and Renew Manufacturing:

Two new reports released by Global Efficiency Intelligence (GEI) add to the evidence that policies prioritizing clean manufacturing can be a win-win-win for clean air, worker and community health, and good union jobs. The reports—which were commissioned by the Sierra Club in partnership with BlueGreen Alliance—compare air pollution levels from steel and cement production in various countries. 

This past week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) released a report establishing offshore wind goals. Newly adopted goals plan for 3,000-5,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and increase that projection to 25,000 MW by 2045. The report estimates that this will be enough electricity to power up to 25 million homes. 

President Joe Biden today signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a budget reconciliation bill that includes $369 billion in energy and climate investments and will create an estimated 9 million jobs over 10 years. Additionally, the bill will reduce emissions by up to 44% by 2030 and invest in economic justice programs.

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a budget reconciliation bill that includes $369 billion in energy and climate investments and will create an estimated 9 million jobs over 10 years. Additionally, the bill will reduce emissions by 40% by 2030, support economic and racial justice programs, and create good-paying, union jobs across the nation. With today’s vote, the bill will be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law. 

Following the vote, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh.

Offshore wind energy presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to contribute to this mission if developed responsibly with high road labor standards, a domestic supply chain, equitable community benefits, and environmental protection that avoids, minimizes, and mitigates impacts to wildlife, ecosystems, and natural resources at each phase of development.

In April, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released new guidance on the application of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) policy in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) signed by President Biden last year.

Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign SB22-051, Policies To Reduce Emissions From Built Environment. The bill establishes a tax incentive for the installation of heat pumps in buildings and includes provisions requiring that certified contractors complete larger-scale projects. Additionally, a Buy Clean incentive, which encourages the use of building materials produced with lower emissions, will start in July 2024.

This Policy Agenda presents BlueGreen Alliance California’s policy goals for 2022. Below, we describe
priority campaigns and practical demands of policymakers in the economic sectors within which we are
working. BGA CA stands ready to work with all government, non-profit, and private sector stakeholders to
advance these intersecting goals, and others, through legislation and regulation in 2022. We hope you will
join us.

A new study finds the United States to be among the cleanest steel producing nations. This study shows that American steel manufacturers are poised to lead the industrial transformation that can help reassert U.S. leadership in manufacturing, create good jobs and fight climate change.