Apollo Alliance Highlights Urban League’s Recovery Act-Funded Project as Prime Example of Green Job Creation
St. Louis, MO — The Apollo Alliance and the St. Louis Urban League joined forces today to highlight the availability of a weatherization assistance project that has created new jobs in the St. Louis area and holds the potential for continued job creation as more qualified homeowners participate. Administered by the Urban League and made possible with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Weatherization Assistance Program is responsible for the creation of 39 green jobs so far throughout greater St. Louis.
“This is a shining example of how investing in green jobs can help revitalize the economy, while also saving low-income citizens money on their energy bills,” said Emily Andrews, executive director of the Greater St. Louis Green Building Council and a member of the Missouri Apollo Alliance steering committee. “If we follow this model with further investments in energy efficiency and weatherization, we’ll see a windfall of good, green jobs throughout the country.”
Weatherization assistance for eligible applicants may include installing wall and ceiling insulation; plugging air leaks with caulking; installing weather stripping; dryer venting; glazing and repairing windows and doors; minor duct repair; furnace repair or replacement; and hot water tank repair. Studies have shown that weatherization reduces household energy costs from $260 to as much as $700 over the course of a year.
“In addition to cutting the energy costs, these services also increase safety and enhance the quality of life for the residents of St. Louis city,” said Urban League President Jim Buford.
According to the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), every $1 million invested in weatherization creates at least 16 direct, full-time jobs, as well as additional jobs in the clean energy supply chain. In Missouri, the weatherization program already supports 450 jobs annually. The Recovery Act designated nearly $5 billion for weatherization services for low-income families across the U.S., including more than $128 million for Missouri.
“While the economic downturn has affected us all, the sharpest pain is being felt by low-income citizens and communities of color, where jobs have been lost at a faster rate than in the general population,” said Buford. “So, weatherization not only offers opportunities for homeowners to save money, it is also an industry primed for expansion.”
Todd Weaver, CEO of Legacy Building Construction, spoke about the people his company has employed to work on weatherization projects. “These jobs change lives,” he said. “They may start at entry level, but they lay the foundation for advancement into careers as crew chiefs, pre-weatherization and post-weatherization auditors.”
“Weatherization and other similar projects create green jobs, which will help support and grow our middle class,” said Andrews. “As this market grows, so do the opportunities to reduce carbon emissions for a cleaner environment. It’s a win-win.”
Today’s event also focused on promoting pending federal legislation that can build on the success of programs like the one St. Louis.
The House-passed American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act includes several investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, including $2.5 billion to support efficiency retrofits through the Community Development Block Grant program; $100 million to support efficiency revolving loan programs in low-income communities; and a 9.5 percent allowance allocation to support state and local government efforts to improve efficiency.
Such investments, once made law, will generate thousands of new jobs across the U.S. similar to the ones featured today.
“The Apollo Alliance is calling on the Senate to follow the House’s example by passing a strong climate and clean energy bill this year that includes robust investments in weatherization and other energy efficiency programs,” said Joe Thomas, Apollo’s Missouri state coordinator.
For more information on the St. Louis Weatherization Assistance Program, visit ulstl.org. To learn more about the Apollo Alliance, visit apolloalliance.org.
CONTACTS: Sam Haswell: (415) 371-1700 x201
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The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution that will put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of high-quality, green-collar jobs.
The vision of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is that African Americans and others in the St. Louis region will have the opportunity to create economically self-sufficient lives in communities that are flourishing with opportunity and growth.