It’s Getting Hot In Here

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley has a great idea to make the jobs bill green

 In the wake of news this month that US unemployment has hit 10.2 percent, the Senate leadership appears to be looking very hard at throwing together a comprehensive “jobs bill,” with the intent of passing a jobs-creation policy early in 2010.  Great, you might say – this is the perfect chance for the Senate to really get focused on jobs-creating, deficit-neutral climate legislation that can re-power our economy while making the US a leader in renewable energy investment, and curbing global warming.  Unfortunately the Senate leadership, particularly Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) apparently doesn’t see things this way.  It looks likely that rather than focus on passing the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act first thing in 2010, climate legislation may be delayed yet again by a bill focused purely on jobs creation.

Now, it may be tempting to throw up your hands and scream at the Senate’s inability to get truly focused on a comprehensive climate bill.  I’d suggest, however, that it would be more effective to start thinking about how the jobs bill can in fact be used as an interim opportunity to get some solid green jobs legislation passed, while we simultaneously remain focused on the goal of passing climate-specific legislation by the end of this spring.  And I’m pleased to say that one of the most promising opportunities for injecting a flair of green into the jobs bill may originate in my home state of Oregon, and is already being promoted by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley.

Merkley, a freshman senator, has in less than a year established himself as one of the foremost champions for climate legislation in the Senate.  Merkley’s no fool, and I’d guess he knows as well as you and I do that the Senate leadership could easily promote the climate bill as a jobs bill.  However if the Senate does decide to take up a jobs-only bill before focusing on climate, Merkley’s pushing to ensure that at least some of the jobs created are green jobs.  According to Grist, Merkley would like to see a jobs incorporate some version of his proposed Clean Energy for Homes and Buildings Act – a piece of legislation modeled after the wildly popular House Bill 2626, which was passed by the Oregon State Legislature in the summer of 2009.

Oregon’s HB 2626 sets up loan programs to fund jobs-creating energy efficiency projects in my home state.  As I’ve written previously, this bill drew widespread support from Democrats and Republicans alike at a time when many other state environmental initiatives were floundering.  HB 2626 was passed by the Oregon House 57-0, and was widely regarded as a green jobs bill.  Now Senator Merkley wants to incorporate key elements of HB 2626 into a national jobs-creation policy.  If this happens, it would be a major victory for our movement.

There’s no shadow of a doubt that the US needs comprehensive climate legislation focused specifically on reducing nation-wide greenhouse emissions.  We need that, and we need it badly.  In an ideal world, the Senate leadership would see that jobs creation and climate protection are actually complementary goals, and repower both our economy and the environment with a single bill.  However if that doesn’t happen – if the Senate decides to take up a jobs bill first and climate second – we need to be ready with our next move.  Whatever happens, we’ve got to stay focused on the big-picture goal of a comprehensive climate policy.  But that’s no reason not to also spend a little energy adding a tinge of green to the jobs bill.  Senator Merkley’s proposal is a great idea that could boost the energy efficiency sector and show that what’s good for the climate is also good for ordinary people.  When the time comes, let’s rally around it in force.