Seizing the moment for economic equity
We are in a record-breaking moment for clean energy: Companies are investing in clean energy at levels never seen before, and more wind and solar projects are being built in the United States than ever before. And it’s just getting started.
This progress, which has been fueled by federal investments signed into law by the Biden administration, is not only reshaping our energy system to tackle climate change; it’s also reshaping the economic opportunities that can drive prosperity and wealth in communities around the country. I’m talking about new, high-paying jobs building clean technologies that can sustain families, training and apprenticeship programs that can launch young people’s careers in this fast-growing field, and the revenue that clean energy projects can pour into schools and roads.
These are unprecedented opportunities that can lift up workers, families, and entire communities, and we need to make sure they reach everyone—especially Black communities and communities of color that have faced a legacy of disinvestment and have been most harmed by polluting industries. While everyone has a role to play in this moment, mayors and community leaders are in a critical position to bring these communities to the forefront of new clean economic opportunities.
The two laws that have sparked many of the clean energy investments occurring now—the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act—require that 40% of the overall benefits of these investments flow to disadvantaged communities. This helps set a more level and equitable playing field for funding and incentives, but local leadership still matters.
Mayors and community leaders know the stories of their cities, uniquely positioned to understand local needs and challenges and how securing federal grants or clean energy projects can address them. Examples in Long Beach, California, and Detroit offer models for how to embrace clean energy and equity together.
In Long Beach, Mayor Rex Richardson is pursuing a long-term strategy that marries climate and economic progress with equity as “a guiding value.” That strategy is paying off as Ford announced this past June that it would develop its next generation of small, affordable EVs in Long Beach, creating nearly 500 manufacturing jobs.
To ensure that communities historically left out are meaningfully included, Long Beach is developing an Economic Inclusion Action Plan with local partners to better connect diverse communities with new clean energy jobs like these.
Local training programs are also critical to preparing underrepresented workers for new clean energy jobs, where diversity is alarmingly low. Black workers comprise just 8% of the overall clean energy workforce.
In Detroit, the Green Door Initiative, a local nonprofit, is demonstrating how to address this gap head-on. It trains communities of color and other underrepresented groups, such as returning citizens, for construction-related jobs in environmental remediation, weatherization, and solar installation work. Trainees have gone on to work for the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan, and the private sector. Now Detroit is partnering with Green Door to build solar farms in underserved neighborhoods.
The opportunities extend well beyond jobs and training too. Mayor Richardson is demonstrating how to meaningfully drive new investment into communities that have been left behind.
West Long Beach is a vibrant area home to historic Latino, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; it’s also an area of the city that has been on the frontlines of climate disasters and has endured the majority of the city’s pollution, experiencing some of the worst air quality in the nation due to its proximity to the 710 freeway.
Long Beach’s new Westside Promise, a 10-year investment strategy, is designed to direct public and private funding toward boosting economic development, improving public health and enhancing climate resiliency in West Long Beach, ultimately helping these communities reach their fullest potential.
These are just a few examples of how local leaders position their communities for success in the clean energy transition. A toolkit developed by Elemental Impact, the African American Mayors Association, and the Environmental Defense Fund offers more real-world examples and strategies on how to harness the array of investments out there. It’s a great place for local officials and community leaders to start.
And even for those who are not involved in local government or community initiatives, you hold more power than you may realize. The leaders we choose now are of profound importance if we are to continue making progress. Remember that when you vote.
It’s clear that we are in a profound moment of economic transition, one that is generating new pathways to wealth and prosperity. What’s less clear is who will benefit the most. We need mayors, local officials and community leaders to get in the game, embrace the job and investment opportunities at hand, and leverage them to bring communities that have been excluded in the past to the front and center of the clean energy revolution.
As a member of the Environmental Defense Fund’s U.S. Leadership Team, Nicholas Glover is vice president of the organization’s Build to Zero workstream.