Jobs to Move America
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As policymakers and communities struggle with questions about how to clean our air and protect and create new jobs, a respected scientist from Jobs to Move America released a new report today, “Transforming Transit, Realizing Opportunity” that shows how those goals can be achieved.

The report takes a comprehensive look at how cities can electrify public bus fleets to maximize benefits for the environment, public health, riders, workers, and communities.

Through economic modeling and dozens of interviews with workers, leaders from public transit agencies, environmental and community-based organizations, the report offers a suite of policy recommendations that will enable agencies to center community health, climate solutions, and good job creation in their adoption of battery-electric bus technology and infrastructure. Notably, the report finds that full-scale electrification of public bus fleets in the U.S. could create at least 20,000 good American manufacturing jobs.

“In pursuing the transition to BEBs and supporting the creation of direct and indirect green jobs, transit agencies can serve as a template for other government vehicle fleets to go electric,” writes Anand R. Gopal, Program Officer of the Environment Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, in the report’s preface.

With zero tailpipe emissions and electric engines that are expected to require less maintenance over time, battery-electric bus technology is estimated to save cities and states costs over the course of their electrification programs.

“At Jobs to Move America, we are committed to developing policies that work towards a healthier, cleaner environment without leaving frontline workers behind. This report is one example of how we can accomplish that goal,” says Dr. Christy Veeder, National Program Director at Jobs to Move America and author of the report. 

The report’s comprehensive policy recommendations will allow U.S. transit agencies to not only surmount the technical and financial hurdles that accompany a large-scale transition but to realize even greater health and economic benefits through bus electrification. Taken together, these recommendations will boost the capacity of cities and states to build clean, climate-safe infrastructure while safeguarding the livelihoods of all workers.

“Bus mechanics and operators across America recognize the environmental benefits of expanding our transit systems’ electric bus fleets. Protecting and expanding job opportunities during this transition is essential to ensure that electric bus services reach their full potential. That is why we support proposals that ensure transit workers and their unions become partners with the agencies in identifying the new skills and training programs necessary to safely operate and maintain the new equipment,” said Amalgamated Transit Union International President John Costa.

Associated Resources

Primer: Green Industrial Strategy for Just Transitions

The Climate + Community Project’s report mentions JMA’s U.S. Employment Plan as model legislation to leverage government purchasing power to support the development of a high-road electric vehicle manufacturing industry.

Resource Types:
  • Reports & Policy Briefs

Local Opportunities Coalition comment in response to Office of Management and Budget’s Request for Information

The Local Opportunities Coalition and supporting partners wrote a comment in response to the Office of Management and Budget’s Request for Information on how the Uniform Guidance can be updated or revised to give state and local recipients of federal financial assistance more tools to create good jobs and promote greater racial and gender equity …

Resource Types:
  • Good Jobs Policies
  • Policy + Programs

Local and Economically-Targeted Hire Brochure

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will bring $1.2 trillion to states and cities over the next 5 years for new and existing infrastructure–a once in a generation opportunity. For the first time, local and economically targeted hire on transportation projects is allowed without prior approval. This printable brochure details how communities can take advantage …

Fact Sheet: Empowering Cities and States: Making Federal Funds Work for Our Communities

Currently, a set of decades-old federal rules (known as the Uniform Guidance) impede cities and states from using innovative programs in the procurement process that can amplify the benefit of federal funds for communities. The procurement process can be a powerful tool to address historic inequities and uplift millions of struggling people—particularly people of color—but …