Five Green Industry Action Items for President Obama By Heather Wood Taylor

While campaigning, President-Elect Barack Obama named several issues as priorities for his first months in the White House. A few of those items also happen to be on the green industry’s list of priorities for the new commander-in-chief’s agenda.
Here are some of the industry’s top action items for Obama come Jan. 20.
No. 1: The Economy
As everyone knows, when the presidency changes hands it also will change parties, and the already Democratic Congress gained even more seats in the controlling party. By far, the biggest issue swaying voters toward change this election was the economy, says Tom Delaney, director of government affairs for the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET).
“Voters were so afraid of the economy and thought (the Democratic candidates) might have a better idea or a fresher idea,” Delaney says. “Unfortunately, they didn’t give a lot of thought to the Democratic Congress that didn’t do a lot so far.”
Delaney does agree with voters that the first order of business should be to take action to help boost the economy and consumer confidence.
Terry Duran also says adding jobs and getting the economy back on track should be a top priority.
“I’m a commercial contractor who specializes in shopping center maintenance. When the economy is down, shopping is down and the store owners feel the pinch,” says Duran, owner of Preferred Property Maintenance in Pleasanton, Calif. “Some even shutter their doors, as Circuit City has recently announced. These types of situations plus bankruptcies put an extra burden on the landlord, which filters down to us, the service provider.”
A major source of the economic slowdown came from the housing sector, says David Frank, president and CEO of David J. Frank Landscape Contracting in Germantown, Wis. His region -- southeast Wisconsin -- has experienced at least 33 straight months of declining housing starts - a significant drop from just a few years ago.
"It's a more competitive environment and there has been a sliding demand for new installation services," Frank says.
Any plan to fix the economy should include a plan to boost the housing market, he adds.
"Housing can’t be ignored," he says. "You can’t send everyone a check for a hundred bucks and make economy correct."
The other essential step to making things right is balancing the budget, professionals say.
"It is time for our government to tighten its belt and not overspend, just like the rest of the country," says Sandy Munley, executive director of the Ohio Landscape Association.
Politicians can't promise to decrease taxes while also vowing to increase spending on several programs, Frank adds.
No. 2: Labor
While stabilizing the economy is priority No. 1, the fix should include a solution for the H-2B problem, Munley says.
“That will aid in taking some uncertainty out of the future for businesses,” she says.
Delaney points out that employment issues go hand in hand with the economy.
“You don’t need H-2B workers if you’re not going to have work, and you’ll have some front line people you might have to lay off,” he says.
The guest-worker program accepts 66,000 workers – 33,000 each half of the year – a number that hasn’t been enough to meet employers’ demand. A provision exempting returning workers from counting against the cap expired in September 2007 and Congress hasn’t been able to pass a new extension.
Delaney defends the program against those who say there are so many unemployed workers already in the U.S. that we shouldn’t be looking elsewhere for workers.
“The people who are out of work don’t want to do that kind of work,” he says.
This is an issue Delaney hopes will be solved before Obama even takes office. The next filing day for the H-2B program is Dec. 1. Those who need workers starting April 1, 2009 can apply then. There is a chance Congress could look at it during a possible lame-duck session, which would start Nov. 17.
No. 3: Immigration
Jaime Rios voted Nov. 4 for the first time after recently becoming a U.S. citizen. While he works in Waukegan, Ill., as a landscape contractor, his family remains in Mexico, he told Progress Illinois. His hope is that Obama puts immigration reform at the top of his to-do list. Currently, stacks of paperwork separate Rios from his family.
Activists in the green industry make it a point to separate the H-2B issue from immigration talk when they meet with representatives, arguing that guest workers only reside in the country part of the year before going back to their home countries, meaning they’re not permanent citizens as immigrants are. Plus, H-2B activists fear the H-2B issue will scare members of Congress away if they think it’s tied to the mammoth task of immigration reform.
No. 4: Industry Standards
Ryan Holt, owner of Driftwood Lawn Care and Landscaping in Rising Sun, Md., is disheartened by unlicensed contractors who bring unfair competition to the market. There doesn’t seem to be enforcement of the state law that requires contractors who do work beyond mowing to receive a license. He would like to see industry-wide standards adopted.
“Of course, everyone would still be different because of the quality of their work, and if you want to mark up materials, so be it,” Holt says. “But in terms of general overhead cost, I wish there was a level playing field.”
No. 5: Healthcare
Holt also identified healthcare as an issue that concerns him. He fears Obama’s plan to require companies to provide healthcare would cause him to pay more, which would then mean he would have to raise his prices and become less competitive.
Whatever happens, he would like to better understand what goes into the ever increasing healthcare costs as the system stands now.
“You would hope the private market would be more competitive, but they almost seem to be in collusion with one another,” he says.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
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