Blue Green Alliance Adds Director of Legislation, Intergovernmental Affairs
Yvette Pena Lopes Joins Labor-Environmental Partnership
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 30, 2009) The Blue Green Alliance (BGA) today announced that Yvette Pena Lopes has joined the organization as Director of Legislation and Intergovernmental Affairs in Washington, D.C. Pena Lopes comes to BGA after working as Legislative Representative for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, where she represented the union’s 1.4 million members on Capitol Hill on trade, workers’ rights and green-jobs-related issues, including the Clean Trucks campaign.
“I am thrilled to be joining this fast-growing labor-environmental partnership dedicated to expanding the green economy and ensuring that the jobs created in this economy are good, family-supporting jobs in communities across the United States,” said Pena Lopes. “The Blue Green Alliance is leading the way in bringing together environmentalists and union members in our common goal to create good jobs and protect the environment for future generations.”
Prior to joining the Teamsters, Pena Lopes worked as a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut on issues related to taxes, trade and pensions. Pena Lopes also worked as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas. She graduated from The University of Maryland School of Law in 1999 with a concentration in environmental law.
“Yvette Pena Lopes brings a wealth of experience as an advocate for labor and the environment on Capitol Hill,” said Leo Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers. “The green economy has to be an economy that not only solves global warming, but that creates good, middle-class jobs in this country, and Yvette will be a wonderful advocate on behalf of union members and environmentalists for a green economy that works for working people,” he added.
“Building a clean energy economy is essential in order to revitalize our economy and move us toward energy independence,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. “We know that creating good jobs and protecting the environment go hand-in-hand, and we are pleased to have Yvette Pena Lopes as an advocate for these principles in Washington, D.C.”
“The Blue Green Alliance and its efforts to build a green economy continue to grow,” said BGA Executive Director David Foster. “This labor-environmental partnership unites more than six million people around building this new, green economy, and with the addition of Yvette Pena Lopes to our team, our efforts will be bolstered by a strong advocate for labor and the environment on Capitol Hill.”
The Blue Green Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of green jobs in the United States. Launched in 2006 by the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club, BGA has grown to include the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
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