Today the BlueGreen Alliance hosted a webinar called “Game Changer: The Inflation Reduction Act and Clean Manufacturing.” Government officials, union representatives, environmental experts, industry representatives, and others across the U.S. heard leading climate and labor experts discuss the Inflation Reduction Act and its promise to revitalize industrial manufacturing.  

The law includes more than $50 billion in investments to revitalize manufacturing for the clean economy—an unprecedented sum. This includes funding to expand manufacturing for solar, wind, battery, and other clean technology supply chains. In addition, the law features landmark investments to reduce industrial emissions, while supporting good manufacturing jobs in hard-hit communities. In the law’s first year, manufacturers announced 83 new or expanded utility-scale clean energy manufacturing facilities, according to the American Clean Power Association.  

“The investments in the Inflation Reduction Act give us a game-changing opportunity to build our clean energy future on a foundation of good jobs, clean manufacturing, and more reliable and equitable supply chains,” said Ben Beachy, Vice President of Manufacturing and Industrial Policy at the BlueGreen Alliance. “These investments offer a win-win: a win for the workers now taking good union jobs, for the hard-hit communities seeing investments for the first time in decades, and for all of us who seek a livable climate.”  

“As a single mother, I need a good-paying job to support my family,” said Tesheiona Payton, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7304 member and New Flyer employee. “My union job allows me peace of mind and the security I need to provide for them. The electric vehicle market is booming and that is an opportunity for people like me to get good jobs.”

“We could see more than 850,000 additional manufacturing jobs by 2035 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Princeton University Professor Jesse Jenkins. “For the first time solar and wind components made in America will be cheaper than importing them. This is a win-win for our climate and for jobs and this is how we transform our industrial base for a cleaner future.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act invests to cut the industrial emissions driving climate change, and those investments also mean good jobs,” said Jackie Wong, Director of the Industry and Emerging Technologies Group at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Companies are supported through the law to implement emissions-reducing technologies at their plants to ensure we’re creating the cleanest energy goods in the world. Our clean energy future is right around the corner. Let’s grow it the right way.” 

“The Inflation Reduction Act funding can mean good union jobs in facilities like the one I work in,” said Eric Spiker, President of United Auto Workers Local 4104 at Cleveland Cliffs. “Strong labor and equity standards in the bill are huge for workers around the country, from the electrical steel mill where I work to auto plants. If we use federal funding to stabilize our domestic supply and lift up workers, we will secure our clean energy future. That’s good for our economy, it’s good for our climate, and it’s good for our communities.”