Objective: To build and support real coalitions for change in 5 states: California, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, to advance better energy policy during 2006 and beyond.

Commitment: This five-state campaign will build on Apollo’s regional organizing, moving concrete legislation and mobilizing powerful political constituencies toward policy action that promotes a new vision of community economic development founded on clean energy.

Through this campaign, Apollo will help build the ground swell and political momentum for state and local policy action on clean domestic energy and energy saving technology. Apollo will unite labor unions, environmental, business, community, and farm allies to mobilize pension fund resources, promote job training and apprenticeship programs, and advance model legislation that creates new markets and drives new capital investment into renewable energy and efficiency, deploying sustainable technology like solar, wind, and green buildings at scale through grassroots community action, and creating jobs.

The partners in the Apollo Alliance are committing to secure the passage of ground-breaking energy legislation in five states that will: 1. build the market for clean energy; 2. promote the deployment of energy efficiency technology; and 3. create the pools of capital to invest in bringing the clean energy industry to scale.

Background: Recent examples exist across the states of innovative policies being driven by coalitions of environmentalists, union leaders, businesses, community advocates, and elected leaders, to create good jobs and new investment in clean energy.

For example, in Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell signed Pennsylvania's Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard, requiring that 18 percent of electricity come from clean or renewable energy sources, not only diversifying the Commonwealth's energy mix but also driving economic development, particularly in manufacturing. The strategy has already attracted Spanish wind manufacturer Gamesa, to locate their North American headquarters in Philadelphia, break ground on a manufacturing facility in Johnstown, PA, and develop 18 wind farms around the commonwealth.

Update:
January 2006:
The Oregon Apollo Alliance recently formed with the support of former Governor John Kitzhaber (D), State Senator Ben Westlund (R-Bend), and Apollo Steering Committee Member Dan Carol. After forming, Oregon Apollo filed a ballot initiative to spur the growth of Oregon’s biofuels industry and build the state’s clean energy “brain trust” through the creation of Centers of Excellence across the state. The measure is a bi-partisan effort to bring Oregon together to make a new “down payment’ on Oregon as an incubator of clean and renewable energy innovation and production. It has support from labor, business, farmers, and environmentalists as well as democrats and republicans. Oregon Apollo is also proud to have garnered the support of the Oregon Bus Project by winning the ballot measure caucus at their conference: Rebooting Democracy.

February 1, 2006:
The Los Angeles Apollo Alliance officially launched. Convened by our partners at AGENDA and supported by community members, the LA Apollo Alliance seeks to create good jobs and cleaner communities for the Los Angeles area.

March 6, 2006:
The Washington Apollo Alliance strongly supported HB 2738/SB 6508, the Energy Independence through Renewable Fuels bill (Energy Independence through Renewable Fuels bill) through both the Washington state House and Senate and is now is at the Governor’s Office for consideration. Apollo partners like Governor Gregoire, Rep. Hans Dunshee, Working America, and Pacific Ethanol have been instrumental in moving the legislation. The bipartisan bill has been championed by Governor Gregoire and is supported by a broad coalition of labor, environmental, community, and business groups. The Energy Independence Bill will reduce Washington's dependence on foreign oil, create thousands of new jobs for Eastern Washington, and improve Washington’s air quality by replacing a percentage of gasoline and diesel fuel with homegrown fuel made in Washington State.