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| Photo: Alstom’s New York City subway car. Photo courtesy of Alstom |
As advocates for clean energy and good jobs evaluate opportunities to advance our issues in 2010—from a jobs bill that could include energy efficiency measures to a federal clean energy and climate bill—there is another oft-overlooked vehicle that advocates would be wise to consider. This year, Congress will likely pass a national transportation bill – legislation that comes up only about once every six years – through which the nation could reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and significantly curtail petroleum use, thereby reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The transportation bill also could deliver major economic benefits, including millions of new construction, operations and manufacturing jobs – just what the doctor ordered to fix what’s ailing the U.S. economy.
Click here to read a new Apollo Alliance feature story about the upcoming transportation bill debate.
Among the organizations that are planning to engage groups in the upcoming transportation debate is the coalition Transportation for America, which was created in 2008 by Smart Growth America, Reconnecting America, and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. T4America, as the coalition is called, now counts some 400 organizations that support its agenda to create “a new national transportation program that will take America into the 21st Century by building a modernized infrastructure and healthy communities where people can live, work and play.”
“It’s astonished and gratified us the range of organizations that have realized a connection to transportation,” said David Goldberg, communications director at T4America. He listed AARP as being a T4America member that is concerned that the U.S. transportation landscape is unfriendly to aging Americans; the American Public Health Association as a member that is troubled by the health impacts of pollution from the transportation sector and the lack of physical activity that has resulted from our transportation infrastructure; and PolicyLink as a member that wants to provide poor communities access to affordable, high-quality transportation options.
Environmental groups like Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council are also part of the T4America coalition because of their focus on climate change. “If you’re talking about climate change, transportation is about a third of the emissions, and you’re not going to be able to put all new vehicles that run on cleaner fuels out there in time to deal with the problem,” said Goldberg. “Liquid fuel is going to be the fuel source for a lot longer, but part of what we need to do is not drive so much.”
The Apollo Alliance will be actively involved in the transportation debate during 2010, advocating for a cleaner, more sustainable transportation infrastructure and the high-quality jobs that will be generated by its development. Many economists consider the transportation sector to be rife with job creation potential. A recent study by the Economic Policy Institute (Transportation Investments and the Labor Market) found that a $250 billion investment in the U.S. transportation system would create more than 2.8 million direct and indirect jobs, 370,000 of them in manufacturing.
“Most of our manufacturers are buying components and intellectual property from overseas,” said Ed Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. “This [transportation bill] is a great opportunity to look at the next generation of locomotives and passenger rail cars and buses and make sure they’re not only more energy efficient, but that they also support American jobs.”
Click here to read the new Apollo Alliance feature story about the upcoming transportation debate, and the potential environmental and job benefits of a national transportation bill. And check www.apolloalliance.org on a regular basis for the latest information on Apollo’s role in developing a 21st century transportation policy.
Speaking of transportation …
A new report released on Tuesday by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Smart Growth America and U.S. PIRG found that in the ten months following enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, investments in public transportation created twice as many jobs per dollar as investments in highways. According to the report, What we learned from the Stimulus, and how to use what we learned to speed job creation in the 2010 jobs bill, the ARRA data compiled by the states shows that every billion dollars spent on public transportation produced 16,419 job-months, compared to 8,781 job-months for every billion spent on highway infrastructure. The report also examined the perception that public transportation projects are not as “shovel-ready” as highway projects. It found that nationally, ARRA-funded public transportation and highway infrastructure projects are spending money at about the same rate.
The organizations that authored the report hope that these findings convince Senators, who will soon be considering a jobs bill, to approve higher levels of investment in public transportation than were included in the House jobs bill that passed in December.
“This is a no-brainer. The Senate can ensure that more jobs are created across the country building the transportation system we need for the 21st century,” said Geoff Anderson, president of Smart Growth America. “If we are serious about creating jobs and bringing about the economic recovery our nation desperately needs, members of the Senate will insist on investing a greater percentage of the transportation funds in public transportation. Who is against more jobs?”
Green Jobs Training Grants Announced
On Wednesday, the Department of Labor announced that it would be awarding $100 million in green jobs training grants to 25 projects throughout the country. These Energy Training Partnership grants are part of the $500 million that was set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to prepare workers for careers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
According to Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who announced the grants in a webcast, the Energy Training Partnership grants are going to partnerships that include labor unions, public or private employers, and workforce organizations. They will support job training and placement for workers in underserved communities, such as veterans, women, youth, African Americans and Latinos, and will also target workers who have been impacted by the restructuring of the auto industry.
In Missouri, a partnership led by the UAW and the Labor Employment and Training Corporation will use the grant funds to retrain dislocated and incumbent auto workers for employment in energy efficiency and clean energy sectors. In Ohio, a partnership led by the Communication Workers of America National Education and Training Trust will develop and deliver a “Green Manufacturing Skill Training Certification” to prepare workers for careers in energy-related, energy storage and clean-manufacturing environments. In Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Utah, a partnership led by the International Transportation Learning Center will prepare workers for careers in public transportation.
The entire list of Energy Training Partnership grantees is available at the Department of Labor website.
Jerome Ringo Transitions from Apollo Alliance President to Stalwart Board Member
This week, Apollo announced that Jerome Ringo, our president since 2005, has accepted the position of senior executive for global strategies with Green Port, a private company that focuses on establishing sustainable “green” ports around the world. Ringo served as president of the Apollo Alliance since 2005 and will continue with us as a member of our board of directors.
“We congratulate Jerome on taking this next step in his distinguished career,” said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance. “Jerome’s charismatic leadership helped Apollo reach new heights in our efforts to create good, clean energy jobs across the country. We are fortunate that he will continue to lend his voice and direction to Apollo as a member of our board.”
A dedicated champion of environmental justice and vocal clean energy advocate, Jerome began his career working in Louisiana’s petrochemical industry, where for more than a decade he was an active union member and worked with fellow members to secure a safe work environment and quality jobs. As he began to observe the negative impacts of the industry’s pollution on local communities – primarily poor, minority communities – Jerome began organizing community and environmental justice groups. His experience organizing environmental and labor communities and his drive to further diversify the environmental movement helped solidify his lifelong dedication to environmental and social justice.
Good luck, Jerome. We look forward to your leadership on the Apollo Alliance board!
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