As the Obama transition team gears up to take over in January, the clean energy, good job community hopes that they will consider an economic stimulus package that is green and equitable.  The Apollo Alliance and its allies, including youth groups and environmental justice organizations, sent a memo to the transition team today suggesting principles to follow that will ensure the stimulus package is just and inclusive.

“This letter reflects Apollo’s deep commitment to catalyzing a green economy that creates good jobs and broadly shared prosperity,” says Apollo co-director Kate Gordon. ” We are particularly pleased to be signing
onto the letter with such a diverse group of environmental, social justice, and state and local organizations.”

The memo calls for an economic stimulus package that calls for maximum investment in the clean energy, good job economy such as retrofits and fixing infrastructure that create family-supporting jobs, provides funding to local municipalities, and opportunities for underserved communities to climb out of poverty.

The memo that was send follows.

MEMORANDUM

To: Melody Barnes, Carol Browner, Michael Strautmanis, Dan Reicher, Greg Nelson, Joe Aldy, Brian Deese, Heather Zichal, Jason Grumet

From: The Undersigned Organizations

Subject: Principles for a Green & Equitable Stimulus and Recovery

Date: December 11, 2008

As you draft and debate proposals to stimulate the American economy, we strongly urge you to make the recovery package as green and as equitable as possible. We propose these principles as benchmarks against which all stimulus proposals – indeed, all energy-related proposals coming out of the new administration and Congress – should be measured. The stimulus must:

· Maximize investments in the transition to a green, inclusive economy.

· Focus on fixing, improving efficiency, and lowering energy costs for our existing infrastructure – our buildings, roads and bridges, transmission grid, public transit systems, and manufacturing plants – rather than on new development.

· Promote high quality, family-supporting jobs here at home.

· Provide opportunities for under-served communities to access these high quality jobs, through investments in training programs and partnerships that promote career ladders and “pathways out of poverty.”

· Drive funding to states, cities, tribes and communities, and allow them some freedom to decide where and how they invest in their own economies.

We have in this time of crisis an historic opportunity to incorporate principles of sustainability, fairness, and equity directly into programs to grow our national economy. And we have an opportunity to make fundamental choices about the kind of economy we want to create for the 21^st century. We can build a green economy that lifts all boats and puts America on a path to true prosperity, but only if we start now by demonstrating the political will to do so at this critical juncture.

Sincerely,

1Sky

1,000 Friends of Wisconsin

350.org

Alliance for Climate Protection

Apollo Alliance

Campus Progress

Center for American Progress Action Fund

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Center for State Innovation

Center on Wisconsin Strategy

Ceres

Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin

Clean Water Action

Clean Wisconsin

Climate Crisis Coalition

Climate Solutions

Coalition on Human Needs

Color of Change

Common Cause

Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University

Democracia USA

Earth Ministry

EcoAmerica

Ecology Center

Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

Energize America

Energy Action Coalition

Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative

Environmental and Energy Study Institute

Fresh Energy

Future Majority

Global Exchange

Green For All

Greenpeace USA

Hip Hop Caucus

Illinois Environmental Council

Interfaith Power and Light

Iowa Environmental Council

IowaGlobalWarming.Org

Kyoto USA

League of Young Voters Education Fund

Michigan Energy Alternatives Project

Michigan Land Use Institute

Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

MoveOn.org Political Action

National Hispanic Environmental Council

NYC Apollo Alliance

Oil Change International

PolicyLink

Policy Matters Ohio

Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

Rainforest Action Network

Restoring Eden

Rock the Vote

Sierra Club

Sierra Club, Cascade Chapter

Sierra Student Coalition

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Urban Agenda

Valley Watch, Inc

Windustry

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters

Tags: clean energy, economic stimulus, environmental justice, family-supporting jobs, Green-Collar Jobs, pathways out of poverty, social justice

This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 2:29 pm and is filed under Green-Collar Jobs, New Development Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.