A study by Clean Jobs Midwest found that there are more than 54,000 workers in Minnesota’s clean economy and that 87 percent of those jobs were in the energy efficiency sector. The American Society of Civil Engineers found that Minnesota’s schools alone had $3.7 billion in infrastructure needs. Both existing programs and other financing options could be utilized to fund the repairs. Policies that could be used include “green banks,” utilizing on-bill financing similar to Minnesota’s current Property Assessed Clean Energy law, and leveraging federal funding.

“Making our public buildings more energy efficient is just a common sense idea. And it’s one that will grow good jobs and reduce pollution. This is work that needs to be done anyway, so let’s find ways to do it now, and to do it the right way with skilled, trained workers.”– SHEET METAL WORKERS’ LOCAL 10 POLITICAL DIRECTOR PETE PARRIS.

“If we can avoid wasting energy, while creating quality jobs, that’s an idea that should have bipartisan appeal,” said Sierra Club North Star Chapter State Director Margaret Levin. “This is a practical and pragmatic approach to address our state’s greenhouse gas emissions that will also, in the end, save us money.”

“The bottom line is that reducing waste in our M.U.S.H. sector by 20 percent is both achievable policy and good policy,” said BlueGreen Alliance Minnesota Regional Program Manager Bree Halverson. “This is another example of an area where Minnesotans could rally around an ideal that benefits not just our economy and workers, but our environment as well."