Today the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Climate Policy Office (CPO) will announce new actions under the Federal Buy Clean Initiative to spur the development of low-carbon construction materials. Ahead of the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released a new white paper entitled Buy Clean: A Tool to Create Good Jobs, Cut Pollution, and Renew Manufacturing.

There are a number of ways that Buy Clean helps to ensure that government spending on infrastructure projects reduces pollution, revitalizes American manufacturing, and benefits workers and communities. Here are just a few, explored in more detail in a report entitled Buy Clean: A Tool to Create Good Jobs, Cut Pollution, and Renew Manufacturing:

Two new reports released by Global Efficiency Intelligence (GEI) add to the evidence that policies prioritizing clean manufacturing can be a win-win-win for clean air, worker and community health, and good union jobs. The reports—which were commissioned by the Sierra Club in partnership with BlueGreen Alliance—compare air pollution levels from steel and cement production in various countries. 

The White House and U.S. Department of Energy today released a national Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap. The roadmap lays out a plan to reduce emissions in the industrial sector, which as of 2020 accounted for nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions.

The United States Climate Alliance (USCA), in partnership with the BlueGreen Alliance, released the Just and Equitable Transition State Policy Framework and an accompanying Resource Guide to assist policymakers as they create legislation for the United States’ transition to cleaner, cheaper sources of energy.

The strengthened and newly established tax credits for clean energy in the Inflation Reduction Act will not only help drastically reduce emissions, but provide high-quality jobs in the clean economy.

The Inflation Reduction Act makes historic investments to expand clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing, and to transform the industrial sector to reduce emissions and enhance competitiveness. These investments will be a game-changer in boosting clean manufacturing in the U.S. 

The Clean Energy Demonstration Program on Current and Former Mine Land established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is a great example of this kind of policy and of how environmental challenges can also be economic opportunities.

This past week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) released a report establishing offshore wind goals. Newly adopted goals plan for 3,000-5,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and increase that projection to 25,000 MW by 2045. The report estimates that this will be enough electricity to power up to 25 million homes. 

President Joe Biden today signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a budget reconciliation bill that includes $369 billion in energy and climate investments and will create an estimated 9 million jobs over 10 years. Additionally, the bill will reduce emissions by up to 44% by 2030 and invest in economic justice programs.

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a budget reconciliation bill that includes $369 billion in energy and climate investments and will create an estimated 9 million jobs over 10 years. Additionally, the bill will reduce emissions by 40% by 2030, support economic and racial justice programs, and create good-paying, union jobs across the nation. With today’s vote, the bill will be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law. 

Following the vote, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a robust package to revitalize U.S. manufacturing and grow clean energy around the country, invest in economic and racial justice programs, and support and create the good-paying, union jobs we need to give all workers the opportunity for a middle-class life.