Time To Take Off The Gloves!

Big polluters and their empowered agents on Capitol Hill want to turn back the clock on good jobs, public health and a clean environment with a coordinated, multi-million dollar assault on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the 40-year old Clean Air Act.

Fighting back, over 1,000 Americans rallied in defense of our children’s future at the 4th Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference this morning.  Autoworkers, pipefitters, teachers, environmentalists, electricians, steelworkers, sheet metal workers, service workers, laborers and so many others all gathered around one simple truth:  its not ‘good jobs’ or a ‘clean environment’, it is both, or neither.

Here is a report, just released at the conference, that says 1.5 million new jobs would be created by new EPA rules on greenhouse gas emissions alone.

To a standing ovation, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson was presented with Everlast boxing gloves (today is her birthday, after all) to signal our support for her leadership in guiding us to a clean energy future.  Balanced, science-based standards have a clear history of providing certainty for business investment, growing jobs, and protecting public health, worker safety, and the land, water and air our families rely on.

Gene Sperling, from Michigan, and Chairman of President Obama’s National Economic Council, said the nation’s priority is putting people back to work in part by ensuring that the U.S. becomes the first country in the world to put 1,000,000 advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015.  To get there, the White House will issue 7,500 competitive grants for American communities – a “field of dreams of approach” – to reward cities, towns and counties for leadership on advanced vehicle readiness, and promised businesses 100% tax write-offs for green capital investment.

Follow the Good Jobs Green Jobs 2011 conference on Twitter using the hashtag #gjgj2011

Call your Congressman and Senator and tell them to protect public health, good jobs, and our children’s future by defending the Clean Air Act and the EPA.