Washington BlueGreen Alliance | 2024 Implementation

The Washington BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) continues to ensure their victories at the state legislature are being implemented as the law of the land in the Evergreen state. Our labor and environmental partners advance the Alliance’s goals each month to make Washington a leader in clean manufacturing. We’ve helped Washington implement policies that support workers and grow the economy as the state shifts to 100% clean energy and fortified Washington communities against the impacts of climate change and the low-carbon transition—all in ways that create good, union jobs and uplift workers’ voices. 

Making Washington a Leader in Clean Manufacturing 

The cornerstone of Washington BGA’s work is undoubtedly the Buy Clean and Buy Fair Washington Act. The bill—ESHB 1282— which requires reporting on the carbon content and labor conditions of certain construction materials. Buy Clean and Buy Fair passed the 2024 legislative session and became the law of the land on March 28, 2024 when Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into law. Thanks to bill sponsor Rep. Davina Durr (WA-1), the new policy will pave the way for leveraging existing state spending to accelerate industrial decarbonization and promote the competitiveness of low-carbon manufacturers. 

With robust support from across the blue-green spectrum, the Washington State Legislature took action to transform and strengthen the state’s manufacturing base by passing 2SSB 5269—the Washington Clean Manufacturing Leadership Bill—in 2023. This law directs the Washington State Department of Commerce to develop a statewide industrial strategy and funds dedicated capacity at Commerce to track, promote, and secure federal funding.  BGA Washington continues to help state policymakers with this work and guide the implementation of the new law to ensure federal investments grow Washington’s clean manufacturing industry. 

Implementing the Transition to 100% Clean Electricity 

The success of Washington’s transition to 100% clean electricity hinges on a robust, highly skilled workforce. The Washington BGA coalition supported several bills, including the Climate-Ready Communities Act—2SHB 1176. Since the bill’s passage, Washington BGA  engages regularly with the Clean Energy Technology Workforce Advisory Committee. The council is mapping out the workforce needs for Washington’s clean energy and technology advances, as well as ensuring that our state’s highly qualified union workforce is protected and expanded through that transition. Training programs will help transition traditional energy workers into the profession we need for a clean energy future. 

Ensuring Washington communities are Resilient to the Impacts of Climate Change and the Low-carbon Transition 

Here in Washington, refineries are on the front line, and we must work to ensure workers and communities aren’t left behind as technology changes. BGA supported allocating funding in the 2023-2025 operating budget to study how reduced demand will impact Washington’s five oil refineries and what that means for neighboring communities.  An accurate and shared understanding of the timeline for the state’s refineries’ potential direct and indirect employment changes and impacts to the local tax base is required before discussion of how to mitigate and plan for those impacts.