Here is our letter urging CARB to keep moving forward on vital clean air rules that can also create electrical work, skilled training and apprenticeship opportunities!
Chair Nichols and Members of the Board
California Air Resources Board
1001 “I” Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Urgent Need To Continue Course on Clean Air Regulations
Dear Chair Nichols and Members of the Board:
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to echo and support recent communications by our environmental, community and environmental justice allies in urging you to move forward as expeditiously as practicable on life-saving regulations. As our partners noted, many parts of California have the worst air quality in the nation, and it is critical to advance strong regulations to reduce exposure to harmful air pollution. Regulations like those addressing Advanced Clean Trucks, Transportation Refrigeration Units, At Berth Ships, and many others are the bedrocks of the agency’s Mobile Source Strategy. In fact, many of these life-saving regulations are behind schedule. Some in industry are asking the California Air Resources Board to loosen, rollback, delay or pause efforts to clean the air. We ask that you reject these misguided and short-sighted requests. The health of millions of Californians and the future growth of the clean transportation economy, including the high-quality jobs, skilled training and apprenticeship opportunities it is poised to create, relies on you moving as expeditiously as possible on regulations and plans to clean the air.
As our allies have stated, when the California Air Resources Board adopted its last Mobile Source Strategy, it made a clean air promise to breathers in California that it would deliver regulations to address pollution from various sources by a certain date. As many of these regulations are behind schedule, the benefits of many of these promises are not being felt by many communities yet, including disadvantaged communities harmed by the freight movement industry. With each passing day we are seeing more public health and economic devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be a very difficult and potentially historic challenge to overcome. But, the solution is not to pause vital efforts addressing another public health crisis of dirty air. Communities who have been harmed by air pollution for decades are relying on your agency in these difficult times to continue course on delivering the promises you made to us.
Moreover, California has demonstrated that it can create new, high-quality jobs in the clean energy economy through regulations that require strong emission reductions and air quality improvements. CARB’s suite of regulatory actions can accelerate clean technologies, create new opportunities in the electrical industry for business of all sizes (small, medium and large businesses) and support high-quality career paths and state-certified apprenticeship opportunities. For example, programs like the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) are already preparing state-certified electricians to construct and maintain the charging infrastructure needed to achieve California’s climate goals.
Now, more than ever, we need CARB to be bold, courageous and visionary. This is particularly critical given the Trump Administration is already working to dismantle fundamental regulations that protect the health and safety of working families, public health and our environment.
We appreciate your consideration of these commitments, and we look forward to working with your agency to pursue life-saving regulations that protect public health while delivering timely and valuable economic benefits to working Californians. We appreciate all the staff from your agency that continue to work hard even in these adverse times.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Abrams
Business Manager, IBEW Local 569
Bernie Kotlier
Executive Director, Sustainable Energy Solutions
Labor Management Cooperation Committee, IBEW-NECA California & Nevada
Jennifer J. Kropke, Esq.
Director of Workforce and Environmental Engagement
IBEW Local 11/National Electrical Contractors Association, Los Angeles Chapter; LMCC
Skip Townsend
Founder, Second Chance at Loving Life (SECOND CALL)), a community-based organization focusing on reducing violence and developing life skills and pre-apprenticeship skills for high risk and previously incarcerated individuals.
John Harriel, Jr.
Founder, Big John Kares, a Non-profit organization dedicated to raising environmental justice awareness, as well as improving access to education and skilled apprenticeship careers.
CC: Richard Corey
