U.S. Infrastructure Crumbling, Nation Falling Behind Developing Countries
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When it comes to maintaining and improving its roads, bridges and other transportation facilities, the United States is falling behind even developing nations and Congress is showing no will to address the crisis, according to a report released this week by the Urban Land Institute. Further:
Despite the nation’s unemployment woes, the vast job-creation potential of infrastructure projects is being sidetracked by concerns about government spending appetites and potential cost overruns.
In contrast with its global competition, the report notes, after more than 30 years of conspicuously underfunding infrastructure,
the United States is lurching along a problematic course—potentially losing additional ground.
So far, Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans levee breach have not been a big enough wakeup call; neither was the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse, according to Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority. Meanwhile, China is moving closer to completing the world’s largest high-speed train network, a 10,000-mile honeycomb linking major cities across an expanse similar in size to the United States. But the high-speed train is only a small part of a Read the rest of this entry »
IBEW Local Ready to Create Green Jobs in California
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With local unemployment running at nearly 30 percent in California’s Imperial County—the highest rate since the Great Depression—the members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 569 in San Diego plan to play a big role in helping to rebound the county’s economy.
Under a 2009 executive order by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), one-third of the Golden State’s energy supply must come from renewable sources by 2020. Union members and community and business leaders are working to make Imperial—a sun-drenched county located between San Diego County and Mexico—into the state’s leading center for alternative energy and good green jobs.
Last year, Local 569 opened the first union apprentice training facility in Imperial County. With its emphasis on green technology, the Imperial County Electric Training Center is expected to graduate its first class next spring. IBEW has a national initiative to train workers for green jobs withn training centers in several locations, including Miami and Indianapolis.
Clean Energy Could Create 850,000 New Jobs
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With more than 2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost since the beginning of this recession in December 2007, a new report says developing a clean energy economy in the United States could create some 850,000 new manufacturing jobs.
The report, “Building the Clean Energy Assembly Line: How Renewable Energy Can Revitalize U.S. Manufacturing and the American Middle Class,” by the Blue Green Alliance, recommends major policy changes to build markets for clean energy and provide the financing and capacity building to create clean energy jobs.
Speaking at a telephone press conference today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said federal policies gave a boost to the auto, medical and other industries, and they can do the same for clean energy.
Clean energy can revitalize U.S. manufacturing. Clean energy technology utilizes many of the same components manufactured for the auto industry. Done right, clean energy policy will create new demand for…manufacturing.
