Democrats generally count on blacks and Hispanics for their support on policies related to health care, education and the economy. However, a rift has emerged over energy policy. “President Obama wants to price us out of energy, this is a war on how we live in America and don’t regard it lightly,” said Harry Alford, the conservative Republican head of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, which reaches 100,000 black-owned businesses.
Mr. Alford and several minority group advocates converged on Capitol Hill on Monday to blast President Obama’s new Environmental Protection Agency regulations on greenhouse gas emissions that are likely to go into effect next year. They argue they will disproportionately affect African Americans and Hispanics nationwide. The new EPA regulations would, among other things, place fees on the use of fossil fuels. According to a new study commissioned by the Affordable Power Alliance, 12 millions jobs are at stake by 2030. Advocates say the job losses would be concentrated in electrical utilities, petro chemicals and the industral sector, said Roger Bezdek, who authored the study. “The loss of jobs is staggering,” said Bishop Harry Jackson, a conservative pastor who runs a national coalition of faith-based leaders, ministers and churches.
The report details the historically higher unemployment rates in minority communities compared to whites. It finds that African Americans have generally seen twice as high unemployment as whites. Additionally, unemployment length tends to be longer, and minorities have a harder time getting back to work after a recession, the report finds. Advocates say minority families would be hit hard by a tax on fossil fuels because Hispanics and African Americans on average have higher utility usage. The average black family spends 50 percent more on utilities than whites, and Hispanics spend 10 percent more.
“This study shows a net loss of jobs in our communities,” national Hispanic leader Carlos Duran said. “We don’t care about green jobs, or brown jobs, or purple jobs. We care about net jobs.” Those new rules could pose a problem for Democrats in November. “We don’t plan to make a political statement as such in the upcoming elections but we do plan to support policies and candidates that support our agenda in terms of energy and having a comprehensive approach towards energy development,” said Niger Innis, the conservative spokesman of the civil rights group Congress of Racial Equality.
EPA officials defended their effort in a written statement. “African-American and Latino communities see more sick days from work and school, and increased medical costs due to the ravages of greenhouse gas pollution. We must act to stop this now, while seizing the opportunity to bring green jobs and green small businesses,” according to the statement.
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EPA Regulations Hurt Minority Communities More, Conservative Advocates Say
