Inslee urges Alliance forward; more kickoff events scheduled

Become a Climate Action Steward; attend event tonight in Yakima Valley

OLYMPIA (Oct. 27, 2017) — Nearly 200 attended the Olympia kickoff event for the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy featuring Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday. The Alliance — which includes the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO and a number of other unions — is a coalition of more than 170 organizations promoting an equitable carbon reduction policy for transitioning to a clean-energy economy in Washington state.

“These are trying times with a guy who denies climate change in the White House,” Inslee said. But the governor’s message Tuesday was that he feels optimistic about the Alliance’s efforts and our state’s ability to tackle this issue. “Donald Trump cannot stop the state of Washington from defeating climate change. We have done great things already… but we just need to finish this job. So I want to thank each of you for being involved in this Alliance.”

(Watch Tuesday’s entire event, including Inslee’s speech, here.)

The Alliance has been hosting campaign kickoff events throughout the state to discuss the most effective and equitable carbon reduction policy to date for transitioning to a clean-energy economy in Washington. At these events — held so far in Anacortes, Bellingham, Burlington, Everett, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Vancouver and Yakima — the Alliance has also been recruiting hundreds of Climate Action Stewards, volunteers committing to tackling climate change. (You don’t need to attend one of the kickoff events to become a Climate Action Steward. You can volunteer today!)

Bookmark this page to stay up-to-date on Alliance events in your area and around the state. Events scheduled in the coming weeks include:

Yakima Valley Campaign Kickoff will be Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. at KDNA, 121 Sunnyside Ave. in Granger.

South King County Campaign Kickoff will be Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. at Kent Commons, 525 4th Ave. N. in Kent.

Tacoma Campaign Kickoff will be Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church, 1211 S. “I” St.

Watch this video and share it on Facebook with your friends.

Delegates representing WSLC-affiliated unions from across Washington have approved multiple resolutions urging the council to take action to support this effort. Most recently in July, WSLC delegates approved Resolution #6 that calls on the WSLC to “support legislation, administrative rules, or an initiative that enables a just transition for workers and communities directly affected by the transition to a renewable energy economy, providing income, benefit, wage insurance and retraining support for workers in the fossil fuel industries, and creates quality jobs in infrastructure, energy and efficiency, and the clean energy economy.”

For more information, check out the Alliance’s website.