California is a global leader in clean energy and economic innovation. We’ve proven that a strong economy and a clean environment go hand in hand, but there’s a critical sector we’ve left behind: the facilities that produce many of our everyday goods- from glassware to paper to food products- rely on decades old technologies that are inefficient and polluting. Modernizing the Central Valley’s manufacturing sector is a massive opportunity for economic growth and skilled job creation, and it can also help improve air quality and protect our health.
The Central Valley has seen the direct cost of inaction. Gallo Glass in Modesto, the largest glass container plant in the U.S., had plans to build a hybrid electric furnace to melt glass, but then had its federal funding canceled. This project would have created more than 100 new high-skilled jobs, while also reducing the company’s environmental footprint by over 40%. The cancellation of this project underscores a critical need for state-level investment to ensure these types of projects move forward.
The good news is the solutions are ready. Here in Stanislaus County, a large industrial laundry is installing an industrial heat pump with support from the state’s INDIGO grant program, proving that technology upgrades can cut pollution, reduce operating costs, and create jobs all at once.
But these projects are the exception, not the rule. Since 2014, only a tiny fraction of the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has gone to programs that help manufacturers modernize. That’s why Assemblymember Robert Garcia’s AB 1280 is so important. This bill expands financial assistance and incentives for projects that reduce industrial reliance on fossil fuels. It requires project labor agreements, community benefit funds, and pollution remediation plans for funded projects. These provisions ensure that clean energy investments not only reduce pollution but also support reliable jobs and healthier communities.
Locally, projects like the Gallo Glass Furnace Rebuild represent exactly the type of opportunity this legislation is designed to support. Our highly skilled members trained through IBEW apprenticeship programs are ready to perform this work, keeping jobs and economic benefits in our community while advancing California’s clean energy goals.
When a proposal can unite labor unions, manufacturers, climate groups, and politicians from both parties, it’s a clear sign that it delivers for everyone. AB 1280 is that rare consensus bill. Sacramento can’t afford to miss this opportunity to invest in our local economy, our workers, and a healthier future for the Central Valley.
