The Chamber of Commerce, Labor, and Greens: A Triple-Win on Transportation
Posted February 18, 2011 in Moving Beyond Oil
America’s biggest business lobby and largest Labor union rarely agree on much. In fact, both spend a good deal of time working to defeat policies supported by the other.
So when Tom Donohue, the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, sit side by side to enthusiastically support something, it’s worth paying attention.
This week, Donohue and Trumka appeared before the Senate committee that oversees our national transportation system to call for a new federal transportation bill. The Environment and Public Works Committee has a lead responsibility for writing the law that guides and funds transportation projects all across the country, from highways to sidewalks and public transportation systems to canals.
The last version of this transportation bill, passed in 2005, expired in September of 2009. Since then we’ve been running on various stopgap measures that have halted long-term investment plans and put many construction jobs on hold.
As a result, business and labor came together to support a goal that can both boost business and create jobs. Call it a Red-Blue coalition.
What’s great about this unlikely partnership is that we have the opportunity add another important color to the coalition: Green.
NRDC has long been on record supporting action by Congress to investment in our transportation system with a new, multi-year transportation bill. We support this because, as Donohue and Trumka point out, it will help to jumpstart our economy and put people back to work. But first and foremost, we support renewal of our federal transportation policy because with key reforms, the bill can help us make significant progress toward reducing oil consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, a landmark study conducted by some of the country’s transportation experts found that we could reduce carbon pollution in the transportation sector by up to 24 percent. At the same time, these measures would save travelers billions of dollars on transportation costs.
This potential for big environmental gains is why we’ve joined with several Labor organizations through the Blue-Green Alliance to support federal transportation reform. And it’s why we worked with Environmental Entrepreneurs, a network of 850 business leaders across the country who together have created over 500,000 jobs to offer support for President Obama’s unprecedented plan to invest in clean transportation infrastructure nationwide.
Working together to reform and renew our federal transportation laws, we can achieve a triple-win. Call it a Red, Blue, and Green coalition.
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Comments
John Eberle — Feb 22 2011 11:51 AM
I do not believe that additional funds should be asked for - from our federal tax payers - at this time. What is happening to all of the tax dollars that we pay for every gallon of fuel (gas or diesel).
Barb Sulak — Feb 22 2011 12:54 PM
First I totally agree with Mr Eberle, no
additional funds from taxpayers. And let
me state: I am not connected with any
oil companies, but common sense and
some knowledge tells us that oil is not
going away. Stop and think of how many
products use petroleum products and think about the airline industry, planes use fuel, and are built to use fuel. And just how many jobs, good paying jobs would be produced if we start drilling in earnest and free ourselves of foreign oil.
It is way past time that we start drilling, which will in turn create jobs in many industries across this country, even in the transportation sector. Some of Mr. Donohue's positions often make me wonder if he's wanting to create jobs, or if he's for the unions and the EPA.
Cathy Kilminster — Feb 22 2011 05:58 PM
If we have more transportation funds, they will end up as union jobs with outrageous salaries and benefits. I am so tired of hearing about the green jobs. Oregon was supposed to be at the forefront of this revolution, and it has failed. Spain was also touted with all the new green jobs, and for every one green job created, two other jobs were lost.
Yes, we need more jobs, but we also need a national energy policy. With the Middle East going up in flames, our oil prices will shoot through the roof badly damaging our weak economy further. We need to start drilling in our own land, not stopping it because of the environmentalists. Think about all the farmers going into bankruptcy due to the environmentalists insistence on saving some tiny fish in California. We were involved in solar over 20 years ago, but it will never be the answer to our energy problems. We need oil, gas, coal, solar, wind, for our economy, and the government should stop their meddling.
Wes Evans — Feb 22 2011 11:41 PM
We should push for two things. 1 High Speed Passenger Rail should be canceled. Congressional Research shows that the geography and demographics make HSPR a waist of money to build and a system requiring subsidies forever to operate. 2 the amount of money that goes to mass transit should be cut. Roads, bridges,harbors and the intercoastal waterway all need extra help.
Pat Nayler — Feb 23 2011 01:40 PM
I agree with all of these comments - no more stimulus or extra funds should be wasted on anything with the label 'green'. Look at the stimulus funds that went to 'green' companies already - most are closed or have sent the jobs overseas. The money collected for gas taxes, fees truckers pay and any other taxes collected that are supposed to be used for transportation and infrastructure should only be used for that purpose. Let's stop doing the same thing over and over, like with the SS Trust fund, they take that money and use it for whatever they want and then wonder when there is no money to pay people when they file for SS. The roads and streets in cities need to be repaired and mass transit should be upgraded. More should be done to encourage people to use what is already available before building anything else like high speed transit - remember, it loses money in Ca and OR where they built it but no one uses it. It is a waste and only adds to the urban sprawl that we could do without. Stop spending money on wasteful items and these rails would be a waste.
Norman Ihrig — Feb 26 2011 11:31 AM
Since the Davis-Bacon Act basically requires paying top Union wages, all construction costs at least 20-30% more than it should. First.. exempt all new programs from this act before spending any more taxpayers dollars.