An alliance of California business, labor, environmental, and community leaders have joined together to put forth The California Apollo Program—a comprehensive strategy for creating clean energy jobs in California.
The Program is leading opposition against Proposition 23, a ballot measure funded by out-of-state oil companies that aims to block California’s ground breaking climate legislation (AB32) in November elections.
The Program notes that California has a large and productive economy—the eighth largest in the world—driven by its skilled workforce, successful businesses and history of ingenuity and innovation. However, the ongoing economic recession has dragged down even the strongest economies, and while at the outset of the recession the overall employment in California dropped for the first time in five years, jobs in California’s clean energy economy actually grew—by 5%.
In fact, California leads the nation in the number of clean energy jobs, businesses and patents generated, accounting for over two thirds of U.S. venture capital investment in clean technology—totaling $6.5 billion between 2006 and 2008.
“By implementing The California Apollo Program we will be making the right moves to secure our economic future, retain our global leadership in clean energy and technological innovation, and engage the workers and businesses who can keep the world’s eighth largest economy growing,” said Phil Angelides, chairman of the national Apollo Alliance. “The Apollo Alliance will work with our diverse coalition of business, labor, community and environmental leaders to ensure our state seizes the opportunity to invest in California businesses and create new jobs producing the clean technologies of the future.”
California is not only a state that is seen as a global innovator, especially when it comes to clean energy, but it is also leading the nation with its smart environmental policies that are, and continue to be, powerful drivers of investment and job creation.
If California’s climate law withstands the the challenge of November’s ballot initiative and is implemented as scheduled, it is expected to generate up to $104 billion in economic activity by 2020, according to the Apollo Program.
“Driving investment into California’s clean energy economy is crucial,” said Ed Smeloff, Principal of U.S. Utilities at SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWRA). “At SunPower, we have benefited from the state’s real commitment to renewable energy and that has broadened the success of solar programs in California.”
California gave birth to the solar industry, but today more than 90% of worldwide solar panel production occurs outside the United States. Despite California’s historic role as a global innovator, the state is losing ground to domestic and international competitors in the clean energy race amid inconsistent state and federal support for renewable power and energy efficiency.
The California Apollo Program outlines how the state can create and keep clean energy jobs. Some of their recommendations include:
- Generate 33% of the California’s power from renewable sources by 2020 and prioritize in-state production.
- Upgrade California’s existing buildings to world class energy efficiency standards and ensure that new construction is “green.”
- Require smart, sustainable and equitable approaches to land use as California’s communities grow.
- Support public-private research and development partnerships.
- Provide sufficient and stable support for California’s institutions of higher education.
- Help manufacturers retool their factories and retrain their employees to produce clean energy products.
- Revamp California’s transportation manufacturing industry to meet growing demand for high-efficiency vehicles.
- Modernize California’s transportation infrastructure to connect our neighborhoods, cities and rural areas with world-class transit systems.
- Prioritize the creation of good, family-supporting jobs.
The California Apollo Program has been endorsed by (partial list) SunPower Corporation, Natural Resources Defense Council, State Building & Construction Trades Council of California and California Energy Efficiency Industry Council.
Website: www.apolloalliance.org/programs/caap
