LETTER FROM JASON WALSH

The BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) and BlueGreen Alliance Foundation (BGAF) achieved many victories in 2021, overcoming numerous challenges and showing the true power of our coalition. Through the For America, By America campaign, BGA reached millions of people around the country to join the campaign in support of a recovery plan that will deliver for workers and the environment.

This year will be remembered as the year America began to build back better and—though the job is far from done—much progress has been made. From the halls of Congress, where we continue to fight to build back a better economy with an economic recovery centered on workers and the environment, to our successes in making Buy Clean a reality in Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, and at the federal level, our advocacy and education efforts yielded game-changing results.

At pivotal moments during the debate, the combined voices of working people and environmentalists made a difference in 2021. In Congress, our policy expertise, research, field, and communications work helped strengthen and shore up support for important parts of the Build Back Better Act that passed the House—from ensuring clean energy and electric vehicle (EV) tax credits were linked to job quality and equity, to the inclusion of investments in our nation’s manufacturing and industrial sectors that will save jobs here in America and reduce the pollution driving climate change.

In the states, BGA in Oregon supported a new law to grow clean energy and good jobs in the state by setting the country’s most ambitious climate timeline for 100% clean energy. In the Northeast, we advocated for strong labor and domestic content standards for proposed offshore wind projects. BGA also held numerous Build Back Better events with elected officials to illustrate how building back better will deliver for workers and communities, including an event in Colorado with Gov. Jared Polis, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) focused on rail, transit, and EV infrastructure projects and an event to release vital polling in West Virginia with community and environmental leaders.

The fight is far from over, but 2021 was a year of progress towards climate, economic, and racial justice. BGA and BGAF will build on these successes and lead the way to a clean, prosperous, and equitable economic future.

Thank you for your support

Jason Walsh
Executive Director, BlueGreen Alliance
President, BlueGreen Alliance Foundation

FOR AMERICA, BY AMERICA

In early 2021, BGA began laying the foundation for a multi-pronged campaign to pass a recovery bill centered on workers and the environment—including paid phones, hill meetings, staff-level interactions, and public facing communications. In addition, BGA hired new staff for its legislative team to build up our presence on Capitol Hill.

In April, BGA released polling showing broad public support for the Build Back Better agenda in five key states (Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin)—across the political spectrum—including for investments repairing and modernizing America’s aging physical infrastructure and rebuilding and retooling American manufacturing to build more products and technology here in the United States.

In June, BGA launched “For America, By America”—a campaign urging Congress to ignite a new era of investments needed to Build Back Better, including critical investments to create good-paying manufacturing jobs.

Throughout the summer and autumn, the campaign used a variety of tools to reach working people and activate them in the fight to build back better, including: releasing polling data; events with community, environmental, labor, and elected leaders in the states; online, television, radio, and print advertising; and more. Highlights included events featuring U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bob Casey (D-PA), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO); U.S. Reps. Sean Casten (D-IL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Angie Craig (D-MN), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Ron Kind (D-WI), Gwen Moore (D-MN), Joe Neguse (D-CO), and Dean Phillips (D-MN); Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO); and allies from the labor, environmental, environmental justice communities, and local leaders in states across the country.

In October, BGA announced a nearly $500,000 ad campaign in five key states—Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Virginia, and West Virginia—highlighting the opportunity to build back better for all. This effort included a television ad featuring voters in West Virginia calling on Congress to act now.

The fight to pass the Build Back Better Act will continue in 2022 and BGA and its partners will be making sure that the final bill truly delivers for workers and the environment.

FEDERAL VICTORIES

It was an extremely busy year for BGA on Capitol Hill and the legislative team for BGA worked hand-in-hand with the organization’s field team on tactics to ensure lawmakers heard the voice of workers and environmentalists as they deliberated recovery efforts. These tactics included numerous letters to Congressional leaders and the administration.

In February, U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) joined leaders from the BlueGreen Alliance to call for manufacturing, infrastructure, and good union jobs to be the centerpiece for economic recovery legislation.

In March, BGA Executive Director Jason Walsh testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change to share the importance of building a fair, thriving, and equitable economy through the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act.

BGA partnered with the United Steelworkers (USW), United Auto Workers (UAW), and the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council to produce a backgrounder, EVs are Coming. Will They be Made in the USA? in April, which reviews the potential for job gains or losses related to the coming electrification of vehicles, and the actions needed to ensure we safeguard and build domestic manufacturing and jobs as the U.S. and global vehicle fleet shifts to electric. This preview set the stage for a full report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) that was released later in September by BGA and EPI.

In May, USW, the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) joined us for a virtual Capitol Hill briefing highlighting our recently released National Energy Transition Policy Framework.

BGA Executive Director Jason Walsh testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee about reducing pollution and creating jobs through offshore wind as well as the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on the tax code’s role in creating clean economy jobs. In addition, BGA Director of Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation, Zoe Lipman, testified to the Senate Banking Committee on capitalizing on opportunities in the clean energy economy.

In July, BGA submitted comments calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to protect industrial workers, fence line communities, first responders, and our nation’s infrastructure by strengthening the Chemical Disaster Rule with a people first approach. Later that month, BGA Director of Manufacturing and Advanced Transportation Zoe Lipman testified at a hearing titled, “Financing Climate Solutions and Job Creation.”

A major report from BGA in August, entitled Making Clean Deliver: Improving Clean Energy Job Quality and Growing the Clean Energy Manufacturing Supply Chain in the United States, highlighted research that showed enacting policies to increase wages and grow domestic content in the clean energy sector would not dramatically impact costs or deployment.

“EVs Are Coming: Strengthening Auto Manufacturing and Building Good Jobs in the Shift to Electric Vehicles” was a discussion in September featuring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) on the policies and commitments needed to ensure that the economic and employment benefits that will accompany the transition to EVs accrue to workers here.

In November, the work of BGA the past year paid off with the passage of the Build Back Better Act in the House. Executive Director Jason Walsh lauded the vote saying, “This bill will create millions of good-paying union jobs across the country while reducing the emissions driving climate change, positioning the U.S. as a leader in the clean economy, and making our communities and infrastructure safer and more resilient in the face of the climate impacts we are already seeing.”

In December, BGA and more than 60 unions, environmental organizations, and advocacy groups urged Senate Democrats to support the inclusion of a bonus tax credit for consumer EVs manufactured in factories where workers are represented by a union, a provision included in the Build Back Better Act.

Also in December, BGA released a fact sheet highlighting the manufacturing and industrial investments the organization fought to get included in the House version of the Build Back Better Act. Later in the month, BGA applauded the Biden administration for its efforts on lead abatement.

IN THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

BGA helped to lead the effort to grow offshore wind (OSW) generation in the Golden State. BGA worked alongside coalition members to pass AB 525, which advanced a significant OSW deployment goal of 10GW, along with high road workforce goals in OSW manufacturing and construction.

Clean vehicles are in the fast lane in California. The California legislature passed AB 794 and SB 338, which added workforce standards for the first time to spending criteria for state clean vehicle subsidies. BGA led the coalition on AB 794.

In addition, BGA led a coalition of environmental, equity, and labor organizations to pass the first electric and greenhouse gas standard on the Transportation Network Company (TNC) sector (i.e. Uber and Lyft) at the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The Clean Miles Standard set ambitious electric miles targets for TNC companies and also built in practical steps to ensure that TNCs internalize the cost of electrification and do not foist the financial responsibility of transition onto low-income drivers.

BGA advocated for and helped pass a $600 million state fund for high-road economic development and regional workforce strategies in areas of California impacted by the transition away from fossil fuel production. BGA also secured a grant from the State of California to develop a unified vision between labor, environmental organizations, and environmental justice groups as the San Francisco Bay Area’s five oil refineries face various transitions. This project will analyze economic, community, and environmental impacts of transition, identify shared values across stakeholder groups, and develop a set of strategies to ensure that the transition to clean energy results in economic sustainability for the region, improved public health, environmental justice, and meaningful and rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.  Finally, with environmental justice and labor partners including service unions and building trades unions, BGA successfully advocated for the California state legislature to invest $100 million over the next three years into creating resilience hubs across the state. A report penned by the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, and BGA, Resilience Before Disaster, built significant momentum for this win, making the case for resilience hubs—community centers which provide access to social safety net services, backup power, clean water, cooling, and on-site energy storage—as essential equity tools for making sure low-income communities of color in California thrive in the face of climate emergencies and ongoing stressors.

COLORADO

Buy Clean Colorado became law in 2021. Colorado passed HB21-1303 that will establish maximum acceptable standards for potential global warming materials used in public projects and further requires submittal of EPDs and preference in selection of low-emissions products in the construction of both horizontal (ex: roads) and vertical (ex: buildings) capital infrastructure projects.

The state legislature also passed HB21-1189, which creates additional fence line monitoring requirements for large polluters and requires the publication of pollution information online. This directive is to be updated and/or expanded at least every five years.

With support from our labor and environmental allies and partners in Colorado, the Electric Utility Promote Building Decarbonization (SB21-246) bill passed and was signed into law. It will direct the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to establish energy savings targets and promote the use of energy-efficient electric equipment in place of less efficient fossil fuel-based systems. In addition, the bill appropriates funds to the State Department of Labor and Employment to promote compliance with current environmental and labor standards.

Finally, BGA supported HB21-1324, which provides utilities the opportunity to submit innovative, non-emitting power generation and storage technology to the PUC for consideration and rate recovery, as long as the technology is located in coal transition communities and creates local jobs and tax revenues.

IOWA

A new BGA table was formed in Iowa in 2021. Their initial efforts are focused on making sure utility scale solar farm projects in the state have labor standards.

In an op-ed announcing the coalition, Katie Rock from the Iowa Sierra Club and Bill Gerhard of the Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council wrote, “A new alliance has formed in Iowa to tackle two of the most urgent issues of our time — the climate crisis and the need for quality, living wage jobs to sustain our communities. The Iowa Blue Green Alliance is bringing together labor and environmental organizations who reject the notion that we have to choose between good jobs and environmental protection and insist that we can and must do both.”

MICHIGAN

BGA helped facilitate several events focused on the BBBA and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) with the state’s congressional delegation

BGA worked with the Michigan Treasury and other key economic development officials along with partners to convene a thorough strategic planning process with local elected officials and industry and business leaders for the “downriver” (from Detroit) community. The process, facilitated by the University of Michigan, has resulted in a draft plan that we are now raising money to refine and implement. We are working together in the submission of a grant requested supported by all parties to the Economic Development Administration (EDA).

BGA convened over 60 stakeholders in coordination with the governor’s representatives to build relationships between a diverse set of environmental, labor, and other leaders, primarily to ensure the Governor’s Council on Climate Solutions included just transition throughout the various workgroups and in the overall final draft plan.

BGA worked with over twenty allies to launch a “heavy-duty” EV campaign and a broader “MI Clean Future” campaign for EVs, totaling $600 million for Clean Mobility investments, including preparing sites and workforce recruitment, retention, transition, and other tactics. Elements of this policy have been introduced and will be proposed by policymakers in 2022.

During the initial wave of the pandemic in Michigan, BGA worked successfully with water, environmental, and economic justice advocates to convince the governor to issue an EO which later became a bi-partisan bill to stop water shutoffs and encourage reconnections to ensure people had access to safe drinking water.

MINNESOTA

The Minnesota Legislature’s omnibus commerce, climate, and energy finance bill (HF 6) passed and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz included important provisions to jumpstart Buy Clean/Buy Fair in the state. The provision included in the bill set up a tracking system for the state government to catalog the emissions of various products purchased with taxpayer dollars.

BGA worked with a coalition to support Gov. Walz’s successful efforts to adopt rules to improve the fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks in the state by adopting clean car rules.

BGA worked with local stakeholders to produce a report on IIJA and BBBA, which highlighted items that could be good for state and local leaders to focus on in those bills.

Finally, BGA worked with labor to win policies to ensure that workers who had to work during the pandemic received the appropriate safety rules, safety enforcement, and compensation for their sacrifice to keep the economy going.  In 2021 this coalition influenced changes at the Minnesota Department of Labor, including allowing third parties to report violations even at non-union workplaces. The coalition advocated for the legislature to allocate federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money directly to frontline workers.

OHIO

As the U.S. House of Representatives neared a vote on BBBA, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) joined the BlueGreen Alliance, Ohio AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Policy Matters Ohio, and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) for a virtual press briefing on the need to pass the bill.

Speakers discussed how provisions in the Build Back Better bill—including strong provisions to strengthen and rebuild domestic manufacturing and an updated EV consumer tax credit—coupled with the IIJA—will help ensure that the technologies of the future are built in America and that jobs in the clean economy are good jobs.

BGA also worked with Clean Fuels Ohio to support the state’s auto industry and push for comprehensive clean cars policies that will increase EV adoption, support in-state manufacturing, and build zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure with high road standards. In addition, BGA continued to help guide the table working on offshore wind in the Great Lakes.

BGA continued to build on our efforts over the past 18 months to lead the discussion and advocacy on utility-scale solar development in Ohio. On June 28, 2021, the Ohio General Assembly passed Senate Bill 52, which places new restrictions on renewable energy development, focusing on solar and wind development, and includes changes to the Ohio Power Siting Board process. With the engagement of our coalition of labor, environmental organizations, and solar developers, we were able to negotiate an exemption of over 40 projects under development in the state.

Near the end of the year, BGA Ohio Regional Program Manager Lee Geisse took part in the Institute for Career Development’s yearly conference and held a workshop focused on how workers can tell their stories in ways that impact public policy debates.

OREGON

After years of setbacks on climate policies that faced partisan gridlock, Oregon took a big step towards clean energy and passed the 100% Clean Energy Opportunities Act (HB 2021). This landmark legislation commits investor-owned utilities to 100% clean energy by 2050. Additionally, HB 2021 cemented bold labor standards. New labor provisions now require contractors to guarantee health and retirement benefits for workers; emphasizes using project labor agreements; aims for a 15% workforce equity goal for women, people of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities; and maintains an area wage standard tied to Oregon’s prevailing wage. HB 2021 also sets a community renewable grant making fund of $50 million.

Oregon’s frontline communities will now be able to beat the heat with heat pumps and cooling units that will advance the resilience and flexibility of vulnerable communities that experience extreme weather events. Qualifying Oregonians are eligible for grant and loan programs for installation and electric panel updates. This program is due to partnerships between mechanical trades and environmental justice and environmental groups.

The state legislature also passed HB21-1189, which creates additional fence line monitoring requirements for large polluters and requires the publication of pollution information online. This directive is to be updated and/or expanded at least every five years.

Oregon renewed its energy efficiency commitment that requires investor-owned utilities to set aside a percentage of investments into energy efficiency measures. The policy (SB 1149) saw updates that include investments in EV infrastructure, low-income weatherization projects, and renewable energy sources.

Finally, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission passed the historic Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) Rule that will now require manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to sell a certain percentage of electric vehicles starting in 2025. Additionally, under the new rule, by 2030, 30% of semi-trucks sold in-state are required to be zero-emission electric vehicles—increasing to 40% by 2035. The “Clean Trucks Rule” will also implement air quality safeguards to reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.

WASHINGTON

Washington made critical progress by passing a first-in-the-nation bill that will prioritize Buy Clean and Buy Fair by funding the creation of a database to track building materials purchased for state-funded infrastructure projects and two large Buy Clean and Buy Fair pilot projects in the budget. The BlueGreen Alliance worked alongside multiple coalition partners to secure these two essential budget provisions. This is a necessary step toward leveraging state money to level the playing field for manufacturers that invest in pollution controls and meet high labor standards. These investments will also enable the state to better understand the embodied carbon impact of public buildings.

The Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing (BEST) Act (SHB 1170) sets a goal of doubling the number of manufacturing jobs, the number of small manufacturing businesses, and the number of women and minority-owned manufacturing businesses in Washington over the next ten years. The bill also includes several measures to accelerate regional cluster development and workforce development.

Finally, when Washington updated its climate limits in line with the best available science during the 2020 session, BGA worked to ensure those limits also help maintain our manufacturing base, prevent leakage of pollution to jurisdictions outside Washington, and raise the bar and level the playing field by holding all manufacturers to the same high standards.

WISCONSIN

In 2021, BGA built up a table in Wisconsin made up of partners and allies. The table took part in tours of Building Trades training centers introducing the apprenticeship programs to environmental partners.

BGA put together several events focused on the BBBA and IIJA, including events with Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Gwen Moore (D-WI) and an event with labor, environmental, and local civic leaders highlighting efforts in the state to provide safe, clean drinking water to citizens.

The table also came together to support the introduction of a package of policies—first of its kind in Wisconsin—entitled “Forward on Climate.” This package includes funding for school energy efficiency, funding to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy measures for low-income households, on-bill financing for energy improvements for residential customers, and green jobs training grants.

NORTHEAST

BGA hired our first Northeast Regional Program Manager to expand our reach into the Northeastern states—New Jersey, New York and New England—with a particular focus on both advancing our work on transportation and developing a responsible OSW industry. By the end of the year, BGA exceeded its goal of establishing 200 relationships with labor and environmental leaders in the region, in addition to creating several policy wins for the region.

BGA submitted comments and live testimony to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to further the creation of a high-road offshore wind industry on the following projects: the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Scoping Period for Vineyard Wind and Sunrise Wind in Massachusetts, the Revolution Wind project in Rhode Island, the Atlantic Wind in New Jersey, the Empire 1 Project in New York and the new leasing area in the New York Bight, and the feasibility study for New York’s Great Lakes.

BGA was successful in winning lease stipulations for high-road labor standards including project labor agreement covering the construction stage of the project, requirements for developers to demonstrate their plans to procure materials from U.S. based manufacturers as well as incentivize them to use the domestic supply chain for leases in the New York Bight.

In 2021, BGA worked to ensure the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI)—a multi-state collaboration of 13 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia improving transportation, developing the clean energy economy, and reducing carbon emissions from the transportation sector—includes workforce provisions and evaluates impacts of toxic exposure. BGA conducted four briefings with partners and allies, submitted a joint comment with New Jersey Work Environment Council, and conducted six calls to environmental agency leadership in TCI states throughout the Northeast. BGA also achieved inclusion of labor standards, domestic procurement, and equity priorities in regional policy recommendations.

Finally, BGA began to lay the groundwork to develop and advance Buy Clean/Buy Fair in New Jersey, New York, and New England in 2022 to 2023.

BGA AND BGAF RESEARCH AND REPORTS IN 2021

January 2021 Poll: Broad Support in Midwest for Biden Administration, Congress to Retool and Rebuild American Manufacturing, January 19, 2021

The Colorado and New Mexico Oil and Gas Workforce: Economic Contributions and Future Options, January 26, 2021

BuildingClean.org Report Finds “Buy American” Policies Would Dramatically Boost Manufacturing Jobs Making Energy-Efficient Products, February 2, 2021

America’s Energy Transition: A Case Study on the Passage and Implementation of the Country’s First Just Transition Bill, March 25, 2021

BlueGreen Alliance National Energy Transition Policy Framework, May 5, 2021

April 2021 Survey: Voters across Six Key States Support Investments in Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Clean Energy, and Care Economy to Rebuild Economy, May 21, 2021

The High Road to California EV Goals: Raising Ambition for High-Quality Domestic Manufacturing Jobs, July 01, 2021

Advancing High Road Standards in Zero-Emission Transportation, July 8, 2021

Washington State Legislative Recap 2021, July 13, 2021

BlueGreen Alliance Making Clean Deliver Report Provides Policymakers Roadmap to Improving Job Quality in the Clean Economy, August 6, 2021

America’s Energy Transition: Supporting Dislocated Coal and Oil Refinery Workers, August 10, 2021

New Survey of Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, and West Virginia Voters Reveals Support for Build Back Better, September 28, 2021

BlueGreen Alliance Releases New Data Showing Job Creation Potential of Build Back Better Act, November 18, 2021

Colorado Legislative Recap 2021, November 24, 2021

Factsheet: Manufacturing Investments to Build Back Better, December 14, 2021