THE ALLY FOR MAY 2018

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Welcome to The Ally—the BlueGreen Alliance's monthly newsletter.

May 21, 2018

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company.

ROLLING BACK FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS PUTS JOBS, INNOVATION AT RISK

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose rules in the coming weeks that could roll back the nation’s 2022-2025 fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for cars and light-duty trucks. The BlueGreen Alliance’s Zoe Lipman said that could put auto industry jobs and innovation at risk. “The current standards have helped bring back, secure, and create jobs nationwide; they have reduced pollution; saved consumers billions at the pump; and have been integral to growing and sustaining America’s manufacturing sector over the past decade. Weakening the rules could put American jobs at risk today and in coming years, and would threaten America’s competitiveness in manufacturing critical technology.”

A study last year by the BlueGreen Alliance and Natural Resources Defense Council found nearly 288,000 Americans working at 1,200 facilities in 48 states building the technology and materials used to make vehicles more fuel efficient. READ MORE.

DELAY OF CHEMICAL DISASTER RULE ENDANGERS WORKERS, COMMUNITIES

The BlueGreen Alliance joined a coalition of community, environmental health, worker safety, and public health organizations to release a report highlighting how EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s delay of the Chemical Disaster Rule continues to place American families and workers in harm’s way. The report spotlights some of the serious industrial chemical releases, fires, and explosions that have occurred in the year since the rule was placed on hold. The rule would have required more than 12,500 industrial facilities to take concrete steps to prevent chemical disasters that place millions of Americans at risk each year. READ MORE.

OFFSHORE WIND IN MASSACHUSETTS

Bay State Wind, labor, and community leaders announced a partnership was reached with the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union (Ironworkers) for a proposed offshore wind project, located 25 miles off the South Coast of Massachusetts, as well as to build an innovative training center that will prepare workers to operate and maintain offshore wind projects. READ MORE.

SPRING HOME PROJECTS? CHECK OUT BUILDING CLEAN TO FIND LOCAL, HEALTHY ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDING PRODUCTS

BuildingClean.org is a free tool to help everyone from building professionals to consumers find locally made building products and sort through what type of building products could contain dangerous chemicals and how to find healthier alternatives. The site features a searchable database that includes appliances, HVAC, insulation, lighting, roofing and plumbing materials, water filtration, and more. CHECK IT OUT.

BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE TESTIFIES ON TRADE

BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Kim Glas testified this month before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy at a hearing examining a multilateral and strategic response to international predatory economic practices. The BlueGreen Alliance believes that trade agreements should have strong enforcement mechanisms and include strong and binding labor and environmental protections—including wage and environmental standards—in their core text. READ HER TESTIMONY.