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March 2, 2010

Clean Energy Job Creation in the Local Spotlight
National Clean Energy Tour Comes to Indianapolis, Aims to Create Good Green Jobs

Indianapolis, IN – National, state and local leaders representing government, business, labor and environmental groups convened today in Indianapolis for the “Clean Energy Roadshow.” The Roadshow was created to find ways to spur collaborative public-private investment in the clean energy economy and create quality green jobs for American workers. Indianapolis is the Roadshow’s seventh stop in a multi-city, multi-state national tour that is expected to run through 2011.

“Clean energy jobs will be the jobs of the future, whether they are focused on improving energy efficiency of our homes or building wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles,” said Gil Sperling, Senior Advisor at the Department of Energy. “To build a clean energy economy we need to leverage the combined resources of local and state governments and the private sector through partnerships like we're building here today.”

The Clean Energy Roadshow brought together a diverse mix of groups - from business leaders investing in clean technology manufacturing, to labor unions, environmental groups and community organizers - to create sustained clean energy markets by catalyzing job creation and economic development. National policymakers and clean energy innovators had the opportunity to meet with local business leaders and community organizers to share best
practices, facilitate clean energy job-creation opportunities from the Recovery Act and identify ways to create a sustainable market demand for clean energy technologies. The Roadshow is currently focused in large part on strengthening America’s energy efficiency retrofit industry.

Last year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) invested $5 billion to expand the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides funding for energy audits and weatherization services for low-income families in communities across the country. This was a nearly 10-fold increase in the annual budget of the program. WAP continues to provide significant energy savings and improve the health and well being of low-income Americans, whose energy burdens are on average more than four times greater than
middle and high income Americans. ARRA was responsible for retrofitting more than 125,000 US homes in 2009, and the Administration expects to weatherize at least 250,000 homes in 2010. At the Roadshow, participants discussed ways to ramp up both public and private investments in America’s emerging residential retrofit industry.

Some ideas discussed included “pay-as-you-save” models and PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing, utility partnerships, bonds and pension fund investments.

“We here in Indianapolis are dedicated to driving energy efficiency efforts throughout City-County government and supporting sustainable development in our community as a whole,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “We seek to support those in the community – individual citizens, public agencies, and private organizations – that are willing to invest in implementing sustainable solutions.”

Part of the Indianapolis Roadshow involved members of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 120 demonstrating elements of a home energy efficiency retrofit, including conducting an infrared scan for air leaks and blowing insulation into drafty walls. LIUNA has designed a breakthrough national program to train local workers to do skilled retrofits of millions of energy inefficient American homes. Quality training continued programs
like LIUNA’s are critical to building a skilled workforce that will help create a sustained market for private sector residential retrofit marketplace in cities like Indianapolis and around the country.

“This is not just about green jobs, it’s about good jobs. Home weatherization offers an opportunity to build an entirely new American industry,” said LIUNA Local 120 business manager Ward Daniels. “LIUNA’s breakthrough weatherization training program is an all-around win: it puts Americans back to work in family-supporting jobs, it helps homeowners save money on energy bills, it reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and it improves our environment.”

“One in four construction workers is currently unemployed, so there is an urgent need to generate good, long-term jobs in the construction trades,” said Steve Yeager the Chairman of Circle B, an Indianapolis construction company. “If we can build the market for home retrofits here in Indianapolis, I know I’ll be able to put a lot more people back to work. That’s good for the workers, it’s good for my business and it’s good for our economy.”

Retrofitting energy inefficient homes in America will not only create tens of thousands of new jobs, but it will also save families an average of $440 to $600 a year on their home energy bills, and in some cases much more. In addition, it will reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve quality of life for homeowners and families and reduce U.S carbon emissions equivalent to taking 615,000 cars off the road in order to help mitigate climate change.

“We can put Hoosiers back to work, reduce household energy bills and curb global warming pollution while saving energy in our homes and businesses and creating a strong clean energy economy,” said Bowden Quinn, conservation program coordinator for the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter. “We applaud Mayor Ballard, state leaders and U.S. DOE for their commitment to sustainable economic growth as well as LIUNA's commitment to upgrading our housing stock across the country, providing career pathways for workers and real energy savings for families and communities. Now is the time for labor, business and community leaders, and local and state officials to join forces and lead the way to energy independence.

The Roadshow is a collaboration between the Clean Economy Network, Change to Win, the Sierra Club, LIUNA, Blue Green Alliance, Conservation Services Group and a growing base of national partners. The Department of Energy has been an instrumental part of the Roadshow, supporting its goals of increased collaboration and providing improved understanding of the Recovery through Retrofit program.