Eight Months Into Implementation, Recovery Act Spurs Clean Energy Innovations
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| ARRA funding has brought together Serious Materials, a company that produces energy-efficient windows, with the Cook County economic development agency to weatherize low-income, multi-family buildings in Chicago. Photo credit: Jonathan Zalkin |
On Oct. 30, the federal government’s Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board released new data about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) spending and job creation. It reported that $160 billion in federal grants and loans have been awarded nationally, resulting in the retention or creation of more than 640,000 jobs. Earlier this month, the board announced that $16 billion in ARRA contracts had been awarded, saving or creating more than 30,000 jobs. Read more
Apollo Alliance: New Stimulus Data Shows Progress on Clean Energy Projects, Job Creation
SAN FRANCISCO-The federal government’s Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board released new data today on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) spending and job creation. It reported that $160 billion in federal grants and loans have been awarded nationally, resulting in the retention or creation of more than 640,329 jobs.
Stimulus grants, loans and tax credits are spurring clean energy innovation across the country. Tax credits are helping citizens make their homes more energy efficient, while funding mechanisms like Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants and the Weatherization Assistance Program are inspiring cities to develop new models for financing large-scale retrofit projects.
“The Recovery Act data confirms what we’ve been hearing from clean energy companies and green jobs advocates around the country,” said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance. “ARRA funding is helping clean energy companies reopen factories and rehire previously laid-off workers. It has led to the creation of innovative programs that are going to redAuce consumers’ energy bills as we approach winter, and create green jobs in areas like home weatherization and clean energy manufacturing.”
Earlier this month, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board announced that $16 billion in ARRA contracts had been awarded, resulting in the retention or creation of more than 30,000 jobs. Details about the new ARRA data can be found at www.recovery.gov/pages/home.aspx.
Following are examples of how ARRA funds have helped clean energy companies and workers, and created programs that will save consumers money:
- Serious Materials, a Sunnyvale, California-based company, announced that the largest weatherization agency in the United States, the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, is using the company’s super-insulating windows for the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program. Because of ARRA funding for weatherization programs like the one in Illinois, as well as ARRA provisions to help consumers and businesses buy energy-efficient products, Serious Materials has seen increased demand for its super-insulating windows and commercial glass, which has enabled the company to purchase two factories that had previously been shut down - a former Kensington Windows manufacturing plant in Vandergrift, Penn., and the former Republic Windows and Doors manufacturing facility in Chicago, Ill. www.seriousmaterials.com
- Simonton Windows of Parkersburg, W.Va., announced in August that it had extended offers to rehire 402 seasonal and full-time workers - 263 in West Virginia and 139 in Illinois - who were laid off by the company last winter, and that it is set to hire 55 additional employees in the near future. The reason is the increased demand for energy-efficient windows from consumers who qualify for tax credits under ARRA to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. www.simonton.com
- The City of Portland, Ore., is using the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds it received through ARRA as seed money to start Clean Energy Works Portland, a revolving loan fund that will enable Portland residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes with no up-front costs and pay for the improvements through their utility bills. Improvements available to homeowners during the program’s pilot phase, which will cover 500 homes, include insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, and improvements to space and water heating systems. Fifty-five direct jobs will be created by the pilot program, with many more expected after the pilot phase. www.cleanenergyworksportland.org.
- In Kansas City, Mo., the city has created a 150-block “Green Impact Zone,” where targeted funds from ARRA could spur the renewal of a poor and abandoned area by putting residents to work weatherizing thousands of neighborhood homes. The Green Impact Zone has received ARRA funds through the Weatherization Assistance Program and the EPA’s brownfields clean-up program. Other components of the Green Impact Zone program include a rapid-transit bus route; a smart grid energy project; a green sewer demonstration project; a botanical garden; and a citizen engagement center that will serve as a one-stop shop for residents’ public safety issues. www.marc.org/greenimpactzone
- SunRise Solar of St. John, Ind., makes solar-powered attic fans, a technology that saves homeowners 30 percent on the cooling portion of their utility bills. Owner Bill Keith launched the business in 2003 out of his garage and is planning to open a second production facility next year. Sales have increased, in part, due to a 30 percent tax credit included in the Recovery Act for the purchase of energy efficiency products. Because Sunrise Solar uses local suppliers wherever possible, the company is creating jobs throughout the local economy. www.sunrisesolar.net
For more information about these companies or programs, either contact them directly or call Apollo’s communications director, Sam Haswell, at (415) 371-1700 x201. For more examples of clean energy success stories, visit the “Signature Stories” page at www.apolloalliance.org.
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The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of unlikely and diverse interests - including labor, business, environmental, and community leaders - advancing a bold vision for the next American economy centered on clean energy and good jobs.
Senators Hear Testimony on Clean Energy and Climate Bill
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held three days of hearings this week on the Senate climate and clean energy bill, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The committee heard from climate scientists, energy company CEOs, state and local government officials, labor union leaders, utility company executives, Obama administration officials and others.
Many Apollo Alliance allies testified before the committee as well, including Board Member Dan Reicher, director of Google’s climate and energy initiatives, and Senior Policy Advisor Kate Gordon, who also serves as vice president of energy policy at the Center for American Progress. Read more
Portland Weatherization Program Gives Top Billing to Labor Standards and Community Benefits
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| A contractor performing a blower door test to identify air infiltration and leakage throughout a home. Photo credit: Energy Trust of Oregon |
Clean Energy Works Portland is a groundbreaking new program that enables Portland residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and pay for the improvements over time through their utility bills. But the most exciting and unique aspect of the program is the Community Workforce Agreement that was developed by representatives of labor unions, community groups, businesses, community colleges, and other stakeholders. It is a comprehensive plan to make sure that new jobs created by Clean Energy Works Portland are high quality, career-track jobs that offer family-supporting wages and benefits, and that they go to local residents from diverse backgrounds. Read more
Senate Begins Climate Bill Hearings
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| Please advance to the 65:26 mark in the video to hear Kate’s testimony |
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee began hearings on the Kerry-Boxer climate change bill this week. On Wednesday, Apollo Alliance Senior Policy Adviser Kate Gordon testified before the committee on how a strong, comprehensive energy and jobs bill can bolster the American economy, usher in a new era of sustainable growth, and create millions of high quality jobs
Middle Class Task Force Proposes Recovery Through Retrofit
This week, the Vice President’s Middle Class Task Force and the White House Council on Environmental Quality released a report on how retrofitting residential homes to make them more energy efficient can help spur the recovery of the U.S. economy by creating jobs and saving consumers money.
The report, Recovery Through Retrofit, focuses on the economic and environmental benefits of retrofitting the United States’ 130 million homes, which are responsible for more than 20 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions. Retrofits will create jobs, save homeowners money on utility bills, and lower global warming emissions to boot.
In a press statement released by the White House, Vice President Biden said, “Recovery Through Retrofit is a blueprint that will create good green jobs – jobs that can’t be outsourced, and jobs that will be the cornerstones of a 21st-Century economy … And, thanks to the Recovery Act’s unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, we are making it easier for American families to retrofit their homes - helping them save money while reducing carbon emissions and creating a healthier environment for our families.” Read more
America Invests in Advanced Battery Manufacturing
The federal government has decided to invest in building a clean energy industry from the ground up. The Obama administration has committed to putting a million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the road by 2015. But a 2005 report by the federal Advanced Technology Program at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology found that the U.S. had no capacity to produce advanced vehicle batteries at scale. In order to beef up capacity and ensure that batteries for new electric vehicles are made domestically, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided $1.5 billion in grants to U.S.-based battery manufacturers. Read more
Economic Development: The Missing Link in Clean-Energy Policy
This week, the Apollo Alliance is thinking about would it look like if the U.S. had a long-term national economic development policy to grow the clean energy economy. As the Senate debates comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation and the issue of green jobs becomes increasingly important, now is the ideal time to start developing a comprehensive economic development policy. Because whether we’re talking about lithium-ion battery producers or wind turbine component manufacturers, the industries of the clean energy future need clear direction—and support—from the U.S. government if they are going to be able to compete and thrive in a low-carbon global economy.
In an effort to understand what types of measures should be included in a U.S. clean energy economic development policy, Apollo interviewed academics, businesspeople, labor leaders, investors and economic development professionals throughout the United States to get their best ideas. Read the full article, Economic Development: The Missing Link in a National Clean Energy Policy.
Most proposals for a national clean-energy economic development policy start with the need for federal policies that increase demand for clean energy. These might include putting a price on carbon (through a carbon tax or “cap and trade” program), adopting a national renewable energy standard, implementing national building and appliance energy efficiency standards, or encouraging small-scale renewable energy projects through a national feed-in tariff.
Many experts believe the federal government should offer incentives to persuade clean-energy companies to set up facilities in the United States, a practice that is commonplace in other parts of the world. “Many countries offer financial investment incentives … but in the U.S., we don’t,” said Clyde Prestowitz, president of the Economic Strategy Institute and a former Reagan administration trade and investment counselor.
Another policy often described as essential to a clean-energy economic development policy designed to support a domestic clean-energy manufacturing industry is a local content requirement. Without such a requirement—also called a “Buy American” policy—most clean-energy manufacturing companies will likely locate overseas.
“It matters where you make things,” said Bob Baugh, executive director of the AFL-CIO’s Industrial Union Council. In the case of wind turbines and solar, 70 to 80 percent of the cost itself is in the product, not the installation. That means you have to have a strategy and a policy that says you’ll do it here.”
To read about the many other policy proposals discussed in this article, go to ApolloAlliance.org. For a shorter version of the article, check out my blog post on the Campaign for America’s Future website.
Federal Government Releases Initial Data on ARRA Spending and Job Creation
On Thursday, the federal government released the first data on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) spending and job creation. It reported that $16 billion in federal contract funds have been awarded, representing two percent of the stimulus package. The spending has resulted in the retention or creation of more than 30,000 jobs.
This report only covered ARRA contracts, not ARRA grants, loans, and entitlements/tax expenditures. Much more data will be released at the end of October. For reactions about whether the data release lives up to Obama administration promises, check out the STAR (States for a Transparent and Accountable Recovery) Coalition website.
The Apollo Alliance is still analyzing the government data that was released to learn about the impact of ARRA funds on clean energy job creation. But we have already collected many case studies of ARRA funding that has helped clean energy companies and workers, and created programs that will help consumers save money on their energy bills. Here are just a few examples:
*Simonton Windows of Parkersburg, W.Va., announced in August that it had extended offers to rehire 402 seasonal and full-time workers—263 in West Virginia and 139 in Illinois—who were laid off by the company last winter, and that it is set to hire 55 additional employees in the near future. The reason is the increased demand for energy-efficient windows from consumers who qualify for tax credits under ARRA to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
*United Streetcar of Portland, Ore., a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works, has built the first American-made streetcar in over half a century. United Streetcar has a deal in place to build six streetcars for Portland, as part of the expansion of its streetcar system, and is on the verge of signing a contract to build seven more streetcars for Tucson, Ariz. The expansion of the Portland streetcar system is being made possible, in part, by an ARRA grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
*Cardinal Fastener & Specialist Company of Bedford Heights, Ohio, was a traditional manufacturer, producing large-diameter, high-tensile strength bolts for construction projects and heavy equipment makers. Now that the company makes bolts for wind turbines, it should see an uptick in business as a result of ARRA grants that are being awarded to renewable energy producers. As ARRA cash makes its way to energy producers who are building new wind farms, these producers will purchase wind turbines from turbine manufacturers, and the manufacturers will in turn purchase bolts from Cardinal.
*The City of Portland, Ore., is using the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds it received through ARRA as seed money to start Clean Energy Works Portland, a revolving loan fund that will enable Portland residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes with no up-front costs and pay for the improvements through their utility bills. Improvements available to homeowners during the program’s pilot phase, which will cover 500 homes, include insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, and improvements to space heating and water heating systems. Fifty-five direct jobs will be created by the pilot program, with many more expected after the pilot phase.
Read about other success stories in the clean energy economy on our Signature Stories page.
California Conference on the Stimulus Draws Crowd, Despite Stormy Weather
The most massive storm to hit Northern California in more than 40 years didn’t put a damper on the “California Conference on the Stimulus: Renewing the Economy Through the Building Trades,” held at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. this Tuesday. The conference was designed to help small businesses, businesses from disadvantaged areas, and women-owned and minority-owned businesses, get practical information about opportunities in the green economy and develop partnerships with larger businesses and labor unions. It was presented by the Apollo Alliance and the Beyster Institute of UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management and Progress Through Business, and sponsored by the State Construction and Building Trades Council of California and Harrell Remodeling.
Approximately 100 participants attended panels on green building in California, and market trends and financing opportunities. Attendance was also high at break-out sessions on job quality, training and the stimulus, and connecting small businesses to big businesses and financing. Presenters included government, labor, nonprofit and investment leaders.
Notes on the conference presentations will soon be available at the conference website.
Economic Development: The Missing Link in a National Clean Energy Policy
There was a certain irony in the U.S. decision to hold the recent G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, Penn., to show off the former steel town’s success at creating green jobs. Pittsburgh transformed itself from a polluted and declining industrial metropolis into a clean and booming green one by crafting deliberate economic development policies to support the growth of clean energy industries. The irony is that the United States—unlike most other G20 members—still needs a comprehensive national clean energy economic development policy. Read more
Sample Points for Writing a Letter to the Editor on IMPACT
–Be clear that you support Senator Sherrod Brown’s “Investments in Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act.” Be specific in urging your state’s U.S. Senators to do so as well.
–The IMPACT Act will devote $30 billion for low-interest loans to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers to retool their factories to make the parts that go into wind turbines, solar arrays, batteries for automobiles, and other sources of clean energy.
–Choose ONE Talking Point from the list below and base your letter on that.
- The IMPACT Act will put people back to work by making American manufacturers more competitive and increasing domestic production of clean energy technologies.
- A $30 billion revolving loan fund will help small and medium-sized manufacturers retool, expand, or establish American clean energy manufacturing operations.
- IMPACT will help U.S. manufacturers diversify their product lines and retain existing jobs, as well as create new ones. In turn, this will make them better able to weather a downturn in any specific industry.
- A large cross-section of diverse interests understands the importance of rebuilding our manufacturing base and that clean energy is a great place to start.
- Through the work of the Apollo Alliance and others, more than 2,200 businesses have endorsed the IMPACT Act. Recently, the National Association of Manufacturers joined the chorus of voices supporting the IMPACT Act.
- Environmental groups, labor unions and community organizations across the country have also endorsed the IMPACT Act.
- We need to start making things in America again and rebuild our middle class through well-paid manufacturing jobs. The IMPACT Act will help us do just that here in _____________.
- Without the right support, our manufacturers will miss out on this historic opportunity to make the products that drive the clean energy economy.
- The world is transitioning from a fossil fuel-based economy to one that runs on clean energy.
- Europe, China and India are already making major investments in energy efficiency and clean energy production. They understand that the nations that dominate these technologies will dominate the 21st century economy.
- More than 70 percent of America’s clean energy systems and components are currently produced abroad.
- We must make smart, targeted investments to help our manufacturers make the products that will power America’s clean energy future of America.
- The IMPACT Act will improve our national security.
- America can’t afford to continue to rely on unstable, war-torn nations for a dwindling energy source that is ruining our climate.
- We know the real dangers that face our nation—and our economy—when we allow ourselves to be held over this foreign oil barrel.
- If we don’t take the right steps now to manufacture clean energy technologies—wind turbines, solar arrays, etc.—our nation will remain vulnerable to the whims of unstable Middle East regimes.
- Replacing foreign oil with imported batteries for electric cars does not improve our national security. We must build an independent America by becoming energy independent. This means we need to make it in America.
