WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 15, 2010) Following President Barack Obama’s address from the Oval Office this evening, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director David Foster:

“We commend President Obama for his call tonight to urgently embrace the clean energy future. To do so means that the Senate must pass comprehensive clean energy and climate change legislation in the next 30 days that will create millions of good jobs across America and move our nation to a clean, renewable energy future.

“We also urge Congress to move forward immediately on important OSHA and TSCA reforms, in the form of the Protecting America’s Workers Act and the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010. The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, as well as other recent workplace tragedies, demonstrate that we have to do more to protect workers and our communities from the dangers involved in the production of energy.

“Comprehensive clean energy and climate change legislation provides an opportunity to confront two of America’s greatest challenges at once: creating jobs and moving to a clean, renewable energy economy.”

###

The BlueGreen Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the clean energy economy. Launched by the United Steelworkers and Sierra Club in 2006, the BlueGreen Alliance now includes the Communications Workers of America, Natural Resources Defense Council, Laborers’ International Union of North America, Service Employees International Union, Utility Workers Union of America, American Federation of Teachers, Amalgamated Transit Union, and the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association.