Clean Energy Path to 1 Million New Jobs

[irishbobcat]

Clean Energy Path to 1 Million New Jobs
December 10, 2008
By admin
Over job losses and a faltering economy reached new depths this week, the Apollo Alliance and a group of prominent public interest organizations joined today in applauding Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow's introduction of a landmark clean energy economic recovery bill to rebuild the American manufacturing sector.
The Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008 proposes four vital new investments to strengthen the capacity of American manufacturers to build the tools of the new clean energy economy, and provide nearly 1 million family-supporting jobs.
"There is no more crucial time to invest in our manufacturing sector and good-paying, middle-class jobs, than now," said Stabenow.  "These critical investments will not only stimulate our economy, but put our nation on a path to energy independence."
"The nation's economic well-being is closely tied to its capacity to accelerate and scale up the clean energy, good jobs economy," said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance.  "We are thrilled that Senator Stabenow has introduced The Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008, which we believe is the best blueprint for executing this new, clean energy economic development strategy."
The Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008 is co-sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat of Ohio, and supported by Green For All, the Corps Network, the Center for American Progress, and other organizations. It calls for:
For More Information:Data Points: Job Consequences of the Green Jobs and Infrastructure ActGreen Jobs and Infrastructure Act: Model ProgramsThe New Apollo ProgramApollo Economic Recovery Act — The Full ProposalSignature StoriesMike RothApollo Alliance916-444-7170mike@paschalroth.com
•    Establishing a $50 billion loan program to help manufacturing plants retool and retrain workers to produce clean energy and energy efficiency components and end products. This would create 250,000 direct manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and support an additional 725,000 indirect jobs. With an economic multiplier of 2.43 for investment in manufacturing, the loan program would generate as much as $120 billion in revenue due to increased demand for products and services.
•    Providing Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants for large-scale public-private partnerships. The $6 billion program provides for cities, municipalities, and states to conduct energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These grants could generate up to $2.3 billion in energy savings each year. They could also save approximately 43 million tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of removing 8.6 million cars from the road for a year. The Block Grant Program also has the potential to create 60,000 jobs in construction and installation over the next year, 24,000 jobs in materials manufacturing, as well as an additional 183,600 indirect jobs in other sectors.
•    Providing an infusion of $250 million for the Green Jobs Act, a program authorized in the 2007 Energy bill for job training and workforce investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy occupations. This allocation is in addition to the $125 million annual appropriation authorized under the bill.  The funds would support on-the-ground apprenticeship and job training programs to meet growing demand for green construction professionals. Green Jobs Act programs would train 70,000 workers, and employ their skills in the rapidly changing and increasingly green economy.
•    Investing $300 million to finance a Clean Energy Service Corps, located in the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Clean Energy Service Corps will support the participation of 25,000 young adult corps members in its first year. An additional 200,000 seniors will mobilize as full- and part-time corps members and volunteers during the first year of the program. Finally, over 600,000 students will engage in community-based service learning, and volunteer projects coordinated by the CEC.
Enacting the Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008 will generate the following outcomes over one year:
o    $56.55 billion in federal investments in energy efficiency and green-collar jobs.
o    $2.3 billion in residential and commercial energy savings.
o    $120 billion in industry revenue.
o    334,000 direct and 908,600 indirect jobs, including 60,000 construction jobs and 274,000 manufacturing jobs.
o    Training and paid volunteer service opportunities for 295,000 young adults and seniors.
"We can revive our nation's manufacturing base by investing in alternative energy," said Senator Brown. "Investments in wind, solar, and renewable fuels will create new jobs while reducing our dependence on foreign oil."
The Green Jobs and Infrastructure Act of 2008 is the third major clean energy economic investment proposal that the Apollo Alliance has endorsed since September to accelerate and scale up the clean energy economy and provide millions of good paying green-collar jobs.
In September, the Apollo Alliance introduced The New Apollo Program, a national investment strategy to propel the American clean energy economy and create and or retain 5 million jobs. On December 8, the Alliance introduced the Apollo Economic Recovery Act, a one-year $50 billion economic stimulus and recovery package.
The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to expand opportunities for American businesses and workers , reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, and cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate.
Green Jobs and clean energy will produce the jobs of the future. When will our local politicians wake up and see what Green Collar Jobs can do for this valley?

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green Party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen/