WASHINGTON, DC (January 28, 2014) – Following President Obama’s State of the Union address, the BlueGreen Alliance touted its Repair America campaign as a way to accomplish some of the goals the president laid out to address climate change and create good jobs. BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster released the following statement:

“We have the chance to focus our national priorities to ones that reflect the needs of the American people, like creating jobs, increasing competitiveness, and protecting communities from the effects of climate change. Tonight, the president set forth for a strong set of objectives that grow the middle-class and creating the new job opportunities our country needs.

“President Obama spoke about making communities more resilient to climate change, something we can do by strengthening and reinforcing our infrastructure—the systems that get us back and forth to work, supply our power and gas, keep us safe from floods when storms rage, and more. Climate change is testing these systems every day and the best insurance policy against these threats is to face the challenges of climate change and our nation’s failing infrastructure simultaneously. By doing so, we will create and maintain quality, family-sustaining jobs.

“Congress should join the President and act on infrastructure and climate change immediately. A great start would be to pass the National Infrastructure and Development Bank Act. Additionally, doubling down on clean energy and energy efficiency investments—and the gains we’ve made on advanced vehicles and vehicle fuel efficiency—will create new demand for cleaner technology and tap into a vast potential to create jobs and drive growth. This will only further benefit American manufacturing, all while helping us address climate change.

“While we continue to wait for Congress to act, we applaud the president’s commitment to make this a year of action. Repairing America, creating good middle-class jobs, confronting the challenge of climate change, and securing our own competitive advantage are the keys to our success. There is no excuse for inaction. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and invest in America’s future.”