PA Good Clean JOBS NOW

1
PA Good Clean JOBS NOW

• Stephen Herzenberg
• Keystone Research Center

2
Pennsylvania Green Policy Context

• 2004 Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard
• Governors 650 million Alternative Energy
  Investment Fund conservation, solar tax credits,
  other renewable economic development investments
• State workforce strategy funds a half dozen
  energy Industry Partnership

3
State Economic Political Context

• An economy spiraling down
• State revenues plunging deficits of 1-3 billion
  next fiscal year with flat spending
• Politics a bipartisan majority supports
  investment in good, clean jobs
• State should leverage federal/private dollars,
  and increase near-term state spending
• Spending cuts will exacerbate the recession
• Be ready with public jobs program as situation
  worsens

4
Potential Outside Coalition for Good, Clean JOBS
NOW

• Environmental, smart growth, community
  revitalization groups
• Labor
• Manufacturers and energy service companies
• Anti-poverty organizations
• Parts of a state infrastructure coalition
• Some workforce development stakeholders
• Philanthropy/civic leadership

5
Challenge (1) Where could PA get ?

• The federal government
• Existing state bonds
• Mobilizing private capital for energy efficiency
• Reprogram existing economic development
• New state bonds--e.g., for workforce training
• Borrowing from the federal government?
• Higher taxes on high earners

6
Challenges (2)

• Building a strong, diverse coalition
• National stage a moving targeta good thing but
  makes state planning harder

7
Clean and Green JOBS NOW

• Energy Efficiency JOBS NOW
• Renewable Energy JOBS NOW
• Clean manufacturing JOBS NOW
• Smart infrastructure JOBS NOW
• Green skills investment
• Clean Economy Corps

8
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy JOBS NOW

• Adapting Clean Energy Corps report by GreenforAll
  to state level
• Interest in funding renewable energy as well as
  energy efficiency through the a model which is
  free up front and paid for through savings
  captured on utility bill, municipal services
  bill, or property taxes
• Mobilize state pension fund and building trusts
  to invest?

9
Clean Manufacturing JOBS NOW (1)

• Governors Office of Clean Manufacturing
• Clean Manufacturing Partnerships
• To implement energy efficiency, renewable energy,
  clean processing quickly
• Training Partnerships keep dislocated workers in
  the industry, spread work sharing, plug skill
  gaps
• Entrepreneurial training for dislocated workers
• In-sourcing partnerships
• Clean Technology grants (equipment subsidies)

10
Clean Manufacturing JOBS NOW (2)

• Working capital with a clean tilt
• Layoff aversion with a clean tilt
• Mobilize state pension fund investment as in
  California

11
Smart Infrastructure JOBS NOW

• Broadband in rural areas to permit tele-commuting
  
• Soft water and sewer infrastructure
• Dollars for Department of Environmental
  Protection staff to avoid bottlenecks in
  permitting of water and sewer infrastructure
• Implement smart growth/fix it first
  principles

12
Green Skills Investment

• More for clean and green Industry Partnerships
  and training/other services
• Funded through a small employer and worker tax on
  the entire wage base plus state bonds (or
  borrowing from the federal government)
• Explore coalition willingness to support overall
  workforce proposal that socializes the cost of
  employment transitionskey to raising
  environmental standards quickly in the long run

13
Green Economy Corps/Public Jobs

• Contingency plan for much higher unemployment
• Explore work sharing partial unemployment
  benefits for partly unemployed workers
• Raise more UI funds through tax increases/
  increasing the wage base subject to the tax
• Trigger mechanism (e.g., at 10 unemployment) to
  kick in higher shared sacrifice tax that would
  support expanded Green Economy Corps jobs