RELEASE: Sen. Brown Introduces Legislation to Boost Domestic Transportation Manufacturing, Backed by Newly Merged BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance

With 24 million Americans still out of work or unable to find full-time work, the BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance today announced a merger to strengthen and unify the movement to build a clean energy, good jobs economy to fuel U.S. job creation. The newly unified organization will call on Washington to focus anew on creating good jobs, securing America's energy future and preserving the environment for future generations.Leaders from the newly merged BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance, in their first official act together, joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for a tele-press conference to announce their support for his new legislation — the Strengthening Manufacturing and Rebuilding Transit (SMART) Act — that would invest in American-made transportation infrastructure and to discuss the two organizations' merger. Senator Brown's legislation is aimed at enhancing domestic transportation supply chains while maximizing job creation in manufacturing.

"With gas prices close to $4.00 a gallon in many parts of Ohio and across the country, reinvesting in transit is more important than ever. And at the same time, manufacturing is responsible for creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying, middle class jobs," Brown said. "The buses, trolleys and trains that take Americans to every corner of our country should be 'Made in America' as well. By strengthening the domestic supply chain for public transit, the SMART Act will strengthen our public transit options and revitalize our manufacturing heritage."

"Nearly three years after the bottom fell out of our economy, we are still facing a jobs crisis of historic proportions," said Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers, co-chair of the BlueGreen Alliance and Apollo Alliance board member. "We can't afford to sit on the sidelines while the U.S. misses the boat on the industries of the 21st century — the biggest job-creating opportunity in a generation. That is why the BlueGreen Alliance and the Apollo Alliance are joining together today — to build a stronger movement to create good jobs that protect the environment for the next generation."

"Today, with this collaboration and our support for Senator Brown's SMART Act, we are sending a powerful message that our highest priority must be to build an economy of good jobs and broadly shared prosperity in place of the financial speculation and recklessness that brought our economy to its knees," said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance. "Together, we are committed to building a new green economy for America's future that will meet the convergent threats of climate change, dependence on foreign oil, and unacceptable joblessness."

Beginning July 1, the two organizations will combine to become the BlueGreen Alliance, which will be home to the Apollo Alliance project. Together, the BlueGreen Alliance and the Apollo Alliance project will engage with labor, environmental, business and community leaders across the country to advance a bold vision of how to transform our energy future and, at the same time, create good jobs and rebuild our economy.