COLORADO LEADERS HIGHLIGHT BIDEN’S INFRASTRUCTURE ANNOUNCEMENT AND IMPACTS ON CLIMATE AND JOBS IN COLORADO

Washington D.C. – Today, in a press call, Representative Joe Neguse, Mayor Kristopher Larsen (Nederland), and Ean Thomas Tafoya, Co-Chair of Colorado Latino Forum, discussed the positive impacts of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and its implications for the future of Colorado’s infrastructure and economic development. 

During the call hosted by Climate Power, Colorado political and labor leaders noted that these investments will have significant positive impacts for Colorado, boosting the state’s economy, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs, and improving the quality of life for hard-working families throughout the state. 

Last week, Biden announced the American Jobs Plan, part of his administration’s Build Back Better agenda, which includes a historic $2+ trillion investment in clean energy and infrastructure. The plan outlines ambitious investments that will create millions of good-paying union jobs, spur a clean energy economy, and prevent the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

“The bold investment proposed by President Biden’s American Jobs Plan really presents enormous economic opportunity for our state and [it] can provide thousands more good-paying union jobs,” said Representative Joe Neguse. “It’s worth noting that these are not simply jobs that will create an economic boon in our state, they’ll ultimately make our communities safer and healthier.”

“Just in 2020 we saw the record devastation caused by the wildfires in Colorado, with three out of four of the largest ever fires in Colorado history within our district,” Nederland Mayor Kristopher Larsen. “We see this as a critical moment in our history where if we don’t take bold action now, we’re going to see the impacts in our communities get worse and worse, and grow in the coming years. We need to take this opportunity to really trust the science and start rebuilding our future with an eye towards clean energy and good paying jobs.”

Wildfire smoke and pollution exacerbated the devastation caused by the pandemic for some Colorado communities, but Ean Thomas Tafoya, Co-Chair of Colorado Latino Forum noted that there is an opportunity to learn from the past as we build back better. Tafoya said, “We saw what happened with COVID — this long-term exposure was tied with morbidity and mortality and so we’re really dedicated to trying to find solutions that allow the economy to grow but don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.”

Biden’s American Jobs Plan presents a great opportunity for a state like Colorado, which is already a leader in renewable energy, with more than 62,000 clean energy jobs in Colorado and the state ranked 18th among all states for clean energy employment, as of 2019.

For a copy of the call’s recording, email Meghan Schneider at meghan@climatepower.us