The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a robust package to revitalize U.S. manufacturing and grow clean energy around the country, invest in economic and racial justice programs, and support and create the good-paying, union jobs we need to give all workers the opportunity for a middle-class life.

The Title XVII Innovative Technologies Loan Guarantee Program is a critical opportunity to improve the deployment of clean technologies that are vital to meeting our climate goals while providing high-quality jobs in construction, operations and maintenance, and manufacturing.

The BlueGreen Alliance immediately got to work combing through the more than 100 investments included in the Inflation Reduction Act and has completed an initial analysis of the potential job creation and emissions reduction benefits of just a handful of those investments. What we found is that those investments alone will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. 

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.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) today announced he had reached a deal with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022—a budget reconciliation bill that is expected to include $369 billion in energy and climate investments. The announcement comes after months of negotiations to reach agreement on budget reconciliation legislation.

In response, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

New guidance from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) will help determine how states spend $11.3 billion of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to clean up abandoned mine lands.

Sometimes it’s easy for the dysfunction on Capitol Hill to become overwhelming, overshadowing important work being done every day in communities across the nation to ensure that working families and people have what they need to thrive.

In a letter, the BlueGreen Alliance focused on the opportunity the Next Generation Deliver Vehicle contract represents an opportunity to rebuild the largest non-defense federal fleet to advance climate progress, improve air quality in our neighborhoods, support workers & their communities, and model responsible procurement practices. The turnover of the aging fleet can also restore the independent agency’s financial stability in the long term through the significant total cost of ownership savings that come with electrification. 

President Joe Biden today traveled to Somerset, MA to announce a number of climate change initiatives and tour a former coal-fired power plant that has been converted to manufacture products, including submarine power cables for use in offshore wind projects. It is estimated that 6,800 miles of cable will be needed to reach the administration’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced today that at least 50% of its new vehicle fleet—the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles—will be electric. This decision represents a reversal of an earlier decision by USPS, which promised to electrify only a tiny percentage of the new fleet. The BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Policy Advisor Reem Rayef in response to the announcement.

During an interview today on Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval on the status of talks around a budget reconciliation bill, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) confirmed he was committed to continuing negotiations saying he “is not stopping.”

As the BABA provisions in the BIL come into effect and strengthen the Buy America requirements associated with federal investments, the positive market and employment effects of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs will be further magnified by supporting U.S. manufacturing jobs.