June 22, 2023
Administrator Michael S. Regan
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of the Administrator, 1101A
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Administrator Regan,
Thanks to unprecedented investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act in clean energy and mobility, the Environmental Protection Agency is now responsible for managing billions of dollars in critical new and expanded environmental programs, including the Clean School Bus Program, the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles and Clean Ports Programs, and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. These investments will help the United States make real progress towards combating climate change and environmental injustice. At the same time, the Agency can and should leverage these funds to “[improve] job opportunities for millions of Americans by focusing on high labor standards for these jobs, including prevailing wages and the free and fair chance to join a union.” Promoting a highly skilled, well-compensated, and diverse workforce will not only benefit workers and their families; rather, it is a central component of building a sustainable economy.
Under your leadership, EPA has already taken steps towards incorporating policies beneficial to workers and communities. We commend EPA for taking these steps, and believe that the Agency can build on this success by following in the footsteps of the Departments of Transportation, Energy, and Commerce in signing a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Labor. Such an agreement between EPA and DOL would “promote cooperative efforts … to create and support pathways to millions of high-quality, good-paying” union jobs in the green economy.G An MOU will also help the Agency achieve its program goals by improving alignment on efforts to “attract, train, and retain a diverse and skilled workforce – including bringing in people who have not had the opportunity to attain high-quality … jobs while also supporting workers displaced by the energy transition.”
We urge you, therefore, to work with DOL to negotiate and execute such an agreement without delay.
Sincerely,
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for American Progress
Chispa Florida
Chispa LCV
Clean Energy Works
Dream.org
Earthjustice
Electric School Bus Newsletter
International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
Jobs With Justice
Jobs to Move America
League of Conservation Voters (LCV)
National Education Association
Natural Resources Defense Council
National Skills Coalition
National Women’s Law Center
National Youth Employment Coalition
Sierra Club
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Transport Workers Union of America
Union of Concerned Scientists
cc:
Austin Brown, White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy
Ike Irby, Office of the Vice President
Drew Kodjak, White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy
Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President for Infrastructure Coordination
Julie Su, Acting Secretary, Department of Labor
Matthew Tejada, Director, Office of Environmental Justice, Environmental
Protection Agency
Katelyn Walker-Mooney, Director, Good Jobs Initiative, Department of Labor
Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor