Hi John,

Yesterday, President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of Senators delivered on a promise to work together to get Americans back to work and getting even closer to meeting critical climate goals by reaching a deal on an infrastructure package. He also pledged that this infrastructure package would be signed alongside a reconciliation bill that provides additional funding for climate and clean energy.

Our job now is to continue demonstrating to voters how and why climate and clean energy investments will create economic opportunities across the entire country, whether it’s through electric vehicle parts manufacturing or modernized buildings and infrastructure. Keep reading to learn more.

 BIPARTISAN BLUEPRINT TO BUILD BACK BETTER

The bipartisan, $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal was designed by a group of 10 bipartisan Senators, led by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH).
 
The proposal includes:

• $66 billion for rail and $49 billion for public transit
• $7.5 billion for electric vehicles
• $109 billion for road and bridge projects
• $6 billion for broadband
• $55 billion for water infrastructure
• $73 billion for power grid improvements.

You can read Third Way’s complete statement on the bipartisan infrastructure package here.

 NEW REPORT FINDS AMERICAN JOBS PLAN PAYOFF IS IN THE DETAILS

Republicans are betting that the $2 trillion price tag on the American Jobs Plan will deter voters from supporting it. But our new polling found quite the opposite: When you explain how infrastructure investments will be used to improve electricity and water supply systems, expand clean energy jobs, and modernize buildings & infrastructure, even Republicans come on board.
 
Our polling shows only a slim majority of voters, 58%, support Biden’s generic “transition to clean energy”. That includes about 39% of less-enthusiastic, “soft” Trump voters, whose support Democrats need to expand their majority.
 
But when we polled voters again, this time explaining how the $2 trillion price tag would be used to invest in the electricity grid, water supply, transportation, and manufacturing, overall support increased by EIGHT points (and support from “soft” Trump folks increased to *50%*).
 
This isn’t to say we’ve solved the infrastructure battle. Voters are still concerned that these investments might lead to rising prices or job losses. That’s why we need to address these economic concerns when we discuss clean energy investments.
 
With the American Jobs Plan, as with many Democratic policies, the payoff is in the details. If we work hard to break down the economic benefits, voters will receive through smart infrastructure investments, we can build a lasting coalition that brings everyone on board.
 
Read the full report here.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AMERICAN JOBS PLAN: OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCED NUCLEAR & UNION WORKERS

There’s a lot of excitement around the climate benefits of advanced nuclear energy, but what sort of economic opportunities will it create for workers and communities around the country?
 
On Tuesday, June 22, we hosted a conversation with advanced nuclear experts, union leaders, and current & former Admin officials on the potential for advanced nuclear energy to become a thriving commercial industry that supports well-paid, high-skilled jobs for union workers.
 
Dr. Katy Huff, Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, who delivered keynote remarks, outlined the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities for nuclear energy:

“There are a few key items to the Biden-Harris administration's direction in terms of existing and future nuclear plants. Of course, existing plants prevent almost 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year and the Biden administration is extremely serious about transitioning to zero carbon. And so these existing plants are going to play an extremely important role in ensuring that that is possible. The American Jobs Plan puts into perspective various options for ensuring their market competitiveness. And I'm very excited to say that it also looks into the possibility of advanced nuclear demonstrations as well as procurements that might contribute to the supply chain for those reactors.”

We also heard from Dr. Rita Baranwal, Vice President of Nuclear and Chief Nuclear Officer, at the Electric Power Research Institute, Chris Levesque, President, and CEO of TerraPower, Mark McManus, General President of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters, and J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-Energy. They each offered their perspective on bringing advanced nuclear technologies to market quickly and cost-effectively, as well as the potential for well-paid, high-skilled union workers to fill supply chain manufacturing and reactor construction jobs.

Watch the full event here.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RACE TO CLEAN

A few weeks ago, we hosted a conversation with Dr. Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Senior Resident Fellow at Third Way; Dr. Lisa D. Cook, Professor of Economics and International Relations at Michigan State University; and Cindy Estrada, Vice President and Director of United Autoworkers. The three experts discussed how the global transition to electric vehicles could create enormous economic opportunities for American workers and communities--if we make the right investments and use the smartest policy tools at our disposal. 

As Cindy Estrada explained, 80% of car parts are currently built outside of assembly jobs in non-union, low-wage jobs. This is concerning to labor advocates, who want to make sure the transition to electric transportation happens right here in the United States, at existing plants, when possible, with the opportunity for workers to join a union. 
 
“There’s a myth that manufacturing built the middle class...that’s only true if you’re at an assembly plant, where the benefits and wages are better.” -Cindy Estrada, Vice President, United Autoworkers.
 
Watch the full event here.