Working Papers & Publications

Proposition 39: Jobs and Training for California's Workforce
by Carol Zabin and Megan Emiko Scott, May 2013
Proposition 39 allocates up to $550 million per year for five years for energy efficiency and clean energy projects in California's public schools, community colleges, universities, and other public facilities and provides funding for workforce training. This report estimates the job and workforce impacts of Proposition 39 investments, including the occupational mix of jobs and the number of entry-level positions. It presents information on workers in two key sets of occupations: the building and construction workers who will be engaged in energy efficiency retrofits and clean energy installations, and the school facilities personnel who can reduce energy use through improved operations and maintenance of buildings and their systems. The report identifies potential training needs for the construction and school facilities workforce and estimates the number of workers that may require training for Proposition 39-funded projects. It also presents recommendations on program elements that can help ensure good jobs and workforce outcomes.

Recommendations for Prop. 39 Implementation: Jobs and Workforce Development Program Elements
by Carol Zabin, May 2013
This document presents guidelines for Prop. 39 program design that can ensure better jobs and workforce development outcomes.

Training for the Future: Workforce Development For a 21st Century Utility
Los Angeles's Utility Pre-Craft Trainee Program
by Ellen Avis and Carol Zabin, January 2013
This report describes the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Utility Pre-Craft Trainee (UPCT) program and highlights the features of the program that make it a best practice model for entry-level workforce training in the green economy.

Green Collar Jobs Council—Prop. 39 and other Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Guiding Principles and Strategies for Jobs and Workforce Development
by Carol Zabin, December 2012
This document outlines strategies that can help California generate the greatest quantity of good jobs from Prop 39 funding and other clean energy programs, and improve job opportunities for low-income Californians.

California Workforce, Education, and Training Needs Assessment for Energy Efficiency, Distributed Generation and Demand Response
by the UC Berkeley Donald Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, March 17, 2011
As mandated in the California Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic plan, this study provides recommendations to the California Public Utilities Commission and other agencies on the workforce strategies needed to achieve the state’s ambitious energy efficiency goals.

The Impact of Climate Change Policies on Carbon-Intensive Manufacturing Industries in Oregon
by Carol Zabin, Andrea Buffa, and Lynn Scholl, November 2009
This policy brief focuses on the potential impact of climate change policies like cap-and-trade programs on carbon-intensive manufacturing in Oregon. In particular, it addresses the risk of "leakage" in Oregon's carbon-intensive manufacturing. Leakage refers to the movement of production (and greenhouse gas emissions and jobs) from a region with stringent emissions standards to one with lower standards, and is of particular concern to labor unions and other worker advocates.

The National Center for a Clean Energy Workforce: A Scoping Study
by Carol Zabin, Chris Benner, and Chris Tilly, June 22, 2010
Researched and produced for the California Energy Commission, this report examines options for the development of a National Center for the Clean Energy Workforce (NCCEW). The goal of the NCCEW is to help strengthen the capacity of California and other states to build a clean energy economy rooted in a skilled workforce with broad access to good green jobs, focusing on three broad sectors: renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy vehicles. The report lays out three possible options for the focus of the center, discusses specific possible functions of the center, and lays out choices related to the structure and institutional home of the center.

Addressing the Employment Impacts of AB32, California's Global Warming Solutions Act
by Carol Zabin and Andrea Buffa, February 2009
This policy brief analyzes the job impacts of AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, and highlights the policy design options that can best promote both lower greenhouse gas emissions and good jobs.

Climate Action, Energy Efficiency, and Job Creation in California
by David Roland-Holst, September 2008

California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: A Background Paper for Labor Unions
by Andrea Buffa, Carol Zabin, Cheryl Brown, and David Graham-Squire at the Center for Labor Research and Education, UC Berkeley, with assistance of Tim Rainey, Peter Cooper, and Martha Bader of the Workforce and Economic Development Program, California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, August 2008
This background paper analyzes AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a landmark law which aims to dramatically reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions. The paper focuses on AB 32’s potential impact on California jobs and workers, and highlights ways that California labor unions can influence the implementation process to promote both lower emissions and good jobs.

Macroeconomic Impacts for the State Alternative-Fuels Plan
by Peter Berck, November 2007
Abstract: We examined the impact on California real output, employment, and personal income of three potential scenarios for increasing the use of alternative fuels in California. The scenarios are those described in the report of the California Energy Commission (State Alternative-fuels Plan, October, 2007, Section 5). The method used to evaluate these scenarios was a computable general equilibrium model (Environmental-Dynamic Revenue Analysis Model). The model was calibrated to project the economic conditions of California for the years 2012, 2017, 2022, 2030, and 2050. The economic effects of the three alternative-fuel scenarios were estimated for each of those base years and compared to the conditions that would be obtained in the absence of policy. The effect on individuals of different incomes and the effect on employment by income class were also calculated. Results were also presented on an industry basis for the most affected industries. The results were tested for sensitivity to increased gas prices, and estimates were made of the cost to the economy of raising the state funds needed to carry out the policies.