Labor, Environmental Leaders Launch 17-State, 30-Stop Clean Energy Jobs Bus Tour

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The BlueGreen Alliance today launched a nationwide bus tour aimed at urging Senate action on comprehensive legislation that will create and save millions of jobs across the country building the clean energy economy. The Job’s Not Done Tour, a three-week, 17-state, 30-city tour, launched in Los Angeles today and wraps up in Richmond, Virginia, on September 3.

“By failing to take action on these important clean energy policies we are missing a huge opportunity to create good jobs now,” said Larry Cohen, President of the Communications Workers of America. “Currently we are 16th in the world in the percentage of citizens with access to broadband. Expansion will not only create jobs, save Americans money and make our country more efficient, it will lead to the sustainable communities that are such an important part of our future.”

Throughout this tour, union members and environmentalists will stage a series of roundtable discussions, press conferences and other activities to demonstrate nationwide support for creating clean energy jobs, including manufacturing clean energy technologies, building the 21st century broadband network, building a smart grid transmission system, and making our homes and commercial buildings more efficient, to name a few.

“We can re-energize our economy by re-energizing America,” said D. Michael Langford, National President of the Utility Workers Union of America. “Building a smart grid that transmits cleaner, renewable energy will create good jobs, and we need to take action to make those jobs a reality now.”

Among the cities on the tour are Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Little Rock, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Dayton, Detroit, Madison, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and Richmond. For more information, visit www.bluegreenalliance.org.

“We can’t afford to watch on the sidelines as other countries like China reap the jobs that come from building a global clean energy economy,” said David Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance. “The job is not done, and we urge the Senate to move forward now with critical clean energy legislation that will create good jobs across America and ensure that our country is a global leader in the production of clean energy technologies.”

“The future of our economy and environment depend on our willingness to confront the dangers of dirty energy and create good clean energy jobs,” said Carl Pope, Chairman of the Sierra Club. “Meaningful legislation that creates and saves clean energy jobs in the United States – while protecting our environment for our children and their children – is essential to a healthy economic future.”

“Over the past two years, environmental groups, businesses, labor unions, health organizations, and faith groups representing millions of Americans have come out strongly in support of action on global warming. These voices will continue to grow as the climate crisis worsens, as temperatures continue to rise, and as public health suffers,” said Wesley Warren, Director of Programs for the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund. “It was cynical politics that stood in the way of progress, not a lack of public support. The fight is far from over.”

Follow us on Twitter at @bgalliance and #jobsnotdone. Listen to the press call below.