At Vaca-Dixon Solar Facility, Congressman Garamendi & Other Clean Energy Advocates Urge Action to Save American-Made Clean Energy & Put Americans Back to Work

Solar technicians whose livelihoods depend on investments in clean energy joined the call to Make It In America. Since 2009, jobs in the solar energy have doubled to more than 100,000 – a quarter of which are in California. According to the Brooking Institute, California is home to nearly 320,000 clean energy jobs. However, unfair trade practices from China and heavily subsidized solar facilities around the world are cutting into America's market share while Republicans in Congress drastically slash clean energy manufacturing and research.

"Competition for solar energy jobs is heating up, and the winners and losers of the 21st Century Global Clean Energy Race are being determined in the here and now," Congressman Garamendi said. "We can either wave the white flag of surrender – which seems to be the Congressional Republican energy plan – or we can sustain and create good American jobs in the $5 trillion global energy industry."

Congressman Garamendi and the BlueGreen Alliance came together to discuss the President's American Jobs Act, Congressman Garamendi's Make It In America clean energy legislation, and the BlueGreen Alliance's Jobs 21 Agenda to keep and create American clean energy jobs.

Lisa Hoyos, the California Director of the BlueGreen Alliance said, "California is taking the lead in scaling up renewable energy, and we're seeing the good that comes from that in terms of job creation and environmental sustainability. We are working with Members of Congress across the country to pass policies that will build a clean energy, good jobs future."

President Obama's American Jobs Act is a comprehensive jobs proposal to put millions of Americans back to work and to avoid a double dip recession. It includes a plan to modernize 35,000 schools, including green retrofits, and to invest $10 billion in a National Infrastructure Bank to leverage public and private capital for competitive loans for infrastructure projects, including clean energy.

Congressman Garamendi's Manufacture Renewable Energy Systems: Make it in America Act (H.R. 487) would create American jobs by ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent on American-made renewable energy systems, including solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Phased over a four year period, the bill requires the federal government and any state government buying renewable technologies with federal funds to purchase renewable sources of energy grown, produced, or manufactured with 100% American content. It also requires any company taking advantage of the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit to buy 100% American content within four years after the bill becomes law.

A national grassroots initiative by the BlueGreen Alliance, Jobs21 aims to build a 21st century economy that secures our existing jobs and creates new jobs for America through investments in renewable energy, manufacturing, transportation, energy efficiency, broadband, and energy and water infrastructure.