The Colorado BlueGreen Alliance Coalition secured high road labor protections for a variety of clean energy solutions including landmark legislation to ensure that all large energy-sector projects will include labor standards in line with eligibility requirements outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act’s enhanced tax credits.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) pledging to work together to ensure the use of high-road labor standards on DOI and EPA funded projects. Lee Geisse, Ohio Regional Program Manager for the BlueGreen Alliance, joined the event, participating in a fireside chat about the importance of bringing together diverse stakeholders with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.

The BlueGreen Alliance today released Aluminum, Revitalized: Strengthening the Backbone of Our Clean Economy, a comprehensive report on how to reverse the recent decline of the U.S. aluminum industry to meet rising aluminum demand for clean energy while creating good-paying jobs, strengthening national security, and reducing industrial emissions.

As one of the most important metals for modern life, aluminum is all around us. From our bridges and high-rise buildings to our smartphones and kitchen appliances, this highly durable, lightweight, and conductive material is essential. It’s also a key ingredient for achieving our climate, jobs, and national security goals. As a primary component of solar panels, power lines, electric vehicles (EVs), and other clean technologies, aluminum is a building block of our clean energy solutions.1 At the same time, producing aluminum requires a tremendous amount of energy, and globally, the sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As the world produces increasing amounts of this material for the clean energy economy, we must simultaneously decrease the emissions from its production in order to achieve global climate targets.

 The Oregon State Senate today approved a transformative “Buy America” bill (HB 3332), which will retool the state’s procurement practices and greater align state buying power with current robust federal domestic standards.

Today the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued guidance that will shape the first portion of $10 billion in funding for clean manufacturing under Section 48C of the federal tax code, also known as the Advanced Energy Project Credit. The Inflation Reduction Act revived and extended this section of the tax code to invest in the establishment and expansion of manufacturing facilities that produce clean energy technologies and reduce industrial emissions. Following the Treasury announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement by Vice President of Manufacturing and Industrial Policy Ben Beachy.

Clean technology manufacturing is having a moment. In order to address climate change, we are going to need to produce a lot more solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, building efficiency products, electric vehicles, batteries, and other clean energy goods. Since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, manufacturers have already announced more than $200 billion in private investment for solar, wind, energy storage, and electric vehicle projects in the U.S. The 48C tax credit is particularly well suited to build U.S. manufacturing capacity in specific segments of clean energy supply chains where we face the biggest gaps—gaps that are reflected in our new supply chain analysis.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released guidance on the domestic content bonus credit for the clean energy tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act. For the first time ever, this additional credit will be available for developers using components and materials sourced directly from U.S. manufacturers. These credits are combined with historic supply-side investments in clean technology manufacturing.

We appreciate the opportunity to help shape the impact of this program on the workers and communities it is meant to support. We offer the following guiding principles, which shape our responses to questions from the Office of Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chains (MESC). 

The road to net-zero emissions requires rapid acceleration of clean energy technology and low-carbon materials production. The Evergreen State is well-positioned to lead this clean manufacturing revolution and grow a new generation of high-road jobs. Washington is already home to world-class production facilities for materials like steel rebar and aluminum plate, and its strong climate commitments and highly-skilled manufacturing workforce are two cornerstones of a robust low-carbon industrial economy.

The House GOP seems dead set on cutting off their nose to spite their own face because they’re going to vote on what they’re calling the “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.” The name is truly disingenuous. If we actually named bills by what they did, this would be the “Ship U.S. Jobs Overseas Act.” 

This guide supports states seeking to maximize the employment and economic benefits that can accompany EV charging infrastructure provisions in the BIL and Inflation Reduction Act.