E2: Administration takes a “whole of economy” approach to climate action
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2021) – President Biden will outline his plan for rebuilding America’s infrastructure in a speech later today in Pittsburgh. Biden’s American Jobs Plan will focus on how smart investments in priorities such as ensuring safe drinking water, modernizing the energy grid, upgrading mass transit, advancing electric vehicle (EV) adoption and charging networks, plugging orphan oil and gas wells, and making millions of home and buildings more resilient and energy-efficient will create millions of good-paying jobs while making our economy more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
The following is a statement from Bob Keefe, executive director of the national, nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs):
“President Biden took a whole of government approach to climate change. Now he’s taking a whole of economy approach to climate action and clean energy. This is what our economy and our environment needs more than ever.
“Now Congress must act so we can get American workers and businesses on the job building a better, cleaner, more equitable economy.”
Additional Resources:
- Before COVID-19, nearly 3.4 million Americans across all 50 states and the District of Columbia worked in clean energy occupations, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, grid modernization, clean vehicles and fuels, according to E2’s Clean Jobs America report.
- E2’s latest unemployment report released for the month of December shows the clean energy sector finished the year with 338,500 (10% of the nation’s clean energy workforce) still unemployed – marking the first year that clean energy employment saw a decline compared to the previous year and lowest total since 2015.
- E2’s Clean Jobs, Better Jobs report details how clean energy jobs pay 25% better than the national median wage (including the majority of fossil fuel jobs), have higher unionization rates than the rest of the private sector, and are more likely to come with retirement and healthcare benefits.
- A $99 billion federal investment in clean energy— about same amount the U.S. invested in clean energy as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that then-Vice President Biden oversaw—would quickly create 860,000 new jobs and drive $330 billion in economic activity over five years according to the model detailed in E2’s Build Back Better, Faster report.
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E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and manage more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on Twitter at @e2org.