Ahead of Administration Buy Clean Announcement, BlueGreen Alliance Release New White Paper
White Paper Accompanied by Informative Video Offering Accessible Break Down of Buy Clean Policy
WASHINGTON, DC – 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.
“The benefits of Buy Clean, done right, will ripple throughout the American manufacturing sector to workers and communities across the nation,” said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh. “We welcome and applaud the leadership of the Biden administration in working to implement this transformational policy at the federal level. By leveling the playing field for American manufacturers already taking steps to drive down emissions, Buy Clean will bolster good manufacturing jobs and create a race to the top, encouraging others to innovate to support clean air and a livable climate.”
The new white paper explores the origins of Buy Clean and offers analysis on how a federal Buy Clean policy should be implemented to maximize the benefits to workers and communities. A federal Buy Clean policy should be founded on three pillars, the paper says: transparency and disclosure; direct investment and research, development, and deployment; and finally standards.
The paper concludes: “A federal Buy Clean policy that prioritizes transparency, invests in innovation, and ties public dollars to low-emissions materials holds the promise of transforming some of the most pollution-intensive and economically vital sectors in our economy, allowing us to confront climate change while rebuilding the middle class and advancing environmental justice.”
The Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law in August 2022, will complement Buy Clean by investing billions of dollars to directly help manufacturers reduce emissions and use environmental product declarations, while devoting billions to government purchases of low-emissions construction materials for public buildings and highways.
“The U.S. government is the largest purchaser on Earth. Buy Clean uses the government’s vast purchasing power to drive demand for low-emissions materials, so that taxpayer dollars for bridges and roads go to steel and concrete manufacturers that support clean air, quality jobs, and a livable climate. Coupled with investment in emerging technologies and clean manufacturing processes, Buy Clean will help to renew American manufacturing,” said BlueGreen Alliance Vice President of Manufacturing and Industrial Policy Ben Beachy. “Buy Clean will support job growth in clean U.S. manufacturing, reversing decades of outsourcing that have decimated manufacturing communities and contributed to economic, racial, and environmental inequity. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration on this critical initiative.”
Alongside the paper, the BlueGreen Alliance unveiled an informational animated video on Buy Clean, offering an accessible look at what Buy Clean is, how it works, and why such procurement policies are beneficial.
Find out more about our work on this groundbreaking policy at https://www.buyclean.org.