The raft of advertising decrying the proposed Clean Energy Jobs state legislation, asserting that it’s an import of misdirected California policy, just isn’t accurate. This is reasonable, measured lawmaking, tailored to our unique state. It aims to keep pace with the majority of the world that operates under some form of carbon pricing.

This is exactly the right time and the right place to create progressive policy in Oregon that incentivizes reduction of emissions. This is a landmark bill and ambitious for this short session, but one born of years of study and market observation. It is unfinished business – exactly the reason for these off-year sessions. When passed, the Clean Energy Jobs bill will have more than three years of rulemaking before going into effect in 2021. By that time, both Mexico and China are expected to have carbon pricing in place.

The tragedy of the unprecedented wildfires in our beautiful Columbia River Gorge last summer created alarming ecological and economic damage and made plain the cost of inaction. Our farming, fishing and outdoor recreation are already under threat. Additionally, major institutional investors with trillions of dollars of assets under management are looking for investments that include stability under climate regulation. Without predictability here, that money will bypass Oregon and find a home in a neighboring state or province.

Last week, businesses, elected leaders, community groups, tribes and universities from across Oregon joined together to provide state leaders and policymakers strong reasons to seize the momentum of last session and its robust working sessions. Their clear message was that the time is now, while the economy is strong, and the price to link up with the regional carbon markets is relatively low.

Current legislation proposes a “cap and invest” approach: limiting overall climate pollution from the state’s 100 largest emitters and putting a price on those emissions. While some detractors have posed the possibility that setting such limits will hurt jobs and drive away businesses, history has shown that states such as California that have enacted emissions caps have seen GDP growth and stability in overall utility rates. For Oregon, this means the proceeds won’t leave the economy; they will be reinvested in efficiency projects here in our state.

In Oregon today, 54,000 local jobs support the clean energy economy. Employment in the green and clean energy sector is rising steadily due to adoption of emerging technologies that glean from natural resources of solar, hydro and wind. In Oregon, we’ve already become proficient at learning how to maximize the business benefits of these options, through green building, business savings, job creation, industry alliance and community improvement. And future innovation is born from challenge, not complacency.

California’s success with carbon pricing isn’t unique. Quebec enacted its first auction on its carbon market in 2013, linking its implementation to California’s experience. In eastern Canada, a full 8 percent increase in GDP is linked to $1.4 billion in cumulative proceeds and $2.6 billion in reinvestment in mitigation and adaptation. Oregon’s proposal learns from these policies and includes investments in rural communities and ratepayer protections.

At my company, we talk everyday with forward-thinking clients and owners who practice more than preach about sustainability. They recognize that Oregon’s leadership on environmental issues has always been bigger than our footprint. Our global company thrives on innovation and is intensely concerned with policies or market changes that might constrain development and the enhancement of infrastructure. Carbon pricing is inevitable and we deserve the predictability and investment that will come from acting now. There are many priorities in our state, and, although difficult, we must address them all.

Steve Clem is vice president of preconstruction at Skanska and a board member of the Oregon Business Alliance for Climate. Contact him at 503-382-0909.

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My career in construction has opened up so many fantastic opportunities over the last 18 years. It has allowed me to participate in cutting-edge projects, work with creative people and get a behind-the-scenes look at fascinating industries. I have been to the tip of a rotating tower crane 10 stories above ground as well as in dark and cramped underground steam tunnels.

Along the way, I have looked for ways to make a lasting impression on people and our community here in Portland. For a long time, I assumed that legacy would come in the form of a building, but I have realized (perhaps because we often demolish obsolete buildings) that buildings last only for a season. The things that outlast buildings and projects are relationships, and I am extremely privileged to be participating in a safety mentorship program created by SafeBuild Alliance and funded through a generous grant from the MDU Foundation.

Ten member companies of SafeBuild Alliance have been partnered with MWESB-certified firms that have self-identified as wanting to take the next steps in their journey to an injury-free workplace. There are several reasons why this program is so unique.

First, it is recognition that safety for one is safety for all. The mentors are freely giving their time and resources to accelerate the progress of their partner firms. This comes in the form of monthly meetings and discussions as well as sharing of actual templates, forms and proven best practice programs that the mentors have used to develop safety cultures. Creating company safety culture is an enormous investment – one that small companies often defer for the more pressing issues of winning and executing work.

Second, it is unique because several of the mentors are partnered with companies that could be future competitors in the same specialty trade. Some people may feel that helping a potential competitor build safely is eliminating a differentiator that could jeopardize selection on new work. The way I see it is that it lifts up both boats in the harbor; the emerging firm benefits from measurable safety performance improvements and the established firm benefits from the credibility that comes from being a mentor.

Last, the program was designed specifically to accelerate the progress of motivated MWESB firms. There is no correlation between MWESB certification and low safety performance; accidents can and do occur at all companies. SafeBuild Alliance desires its membership to reflect the community in which we live, so we saw it as an opportunity to increase the diversity of our membership. The mentorship program has become a member benefit as we all benefit from the increased perspective our new members bring.

Skanska is partnering with Crestview Construction, an earthwork contractor; we are meeting directly with one of the owners, Mark Dominguez. His commitment to his employees is admirable. Although he has a generally good safety record, he has been very transparent that it has been mainly through good luck, and not focused planning. He sees creating a safe work environment as his ethical responsibility to his team; he wants to send each person home at the end of the day the same way they arrived in the morning.

However, Mark has been equally transparent in describing the challenges faced by small businesses. In addition to being the owner, he also is the safety director, business development manager and project manager; plus, he likely fills many other roles as issues arise. He would love to create a safety culture, but he has the very real pressure of staffing jobs and keeping equipment in good working order. I am optimistic that this mentorship program can help provide practical tools for Crestview and that we will all be able to increase our level of commitment to the well-being of our people.

The nine other mentor relationships are developing and going through similar processes. We are all learning from these relationships and have room for improvement. Moving closer to injury-free is a legacy that will endure in Portland and beyond. It is a worthwhile movement in which I am privileged to be involved.

Steve Clem is vice president of preconstruction at Skanska. Contact him at 503-382-0909. He also is president of the SafeBuild Alliance – a nonprofit organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects through the transformation of workplace cultures. For more information or to join, visit www.safebuildalliance.com.

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A number of years back, when I was an on-site project manager, I spent a day working in the field with the crew. I showed up, stretched and made myself available to our superintendent as a laborer to do whatever needed to be done.

I anticipated picking up trash or some other activity that didn’t give me the chance to break something or be in the way. Instead, I was partnered up with another laborer, and we immediately set to work stripping a large gang form wall panel. It didn’t take too long working the end of a Burke bar before I wondered why the morning break wasn’t at 8:30 instead of 10:30.

Soon enough, it was break time and I grabbed a quick bite to eat and got further direction. Although I was eager to get back and finish the wall panel, there was a pizza feed that day and the area for the tables needed to be cleared and swept. We also set up tables and carried buckets of ice. We did this until about 11:40, and then, since the column crew had borrowed our impact gun, we went up to the third floor and swept until lunch.

After lunch, we got our impact gun back and finished stripping the forms. We were constantly being redirected to do small tasks, and occasionally my partner would get called off to another location for a while. I tried to stay busy, or at least look busy.

By this time, I was starting to get tired, and my feet, back, legs and hands were rebelling against doing more than their usual routine of checking email. I climbed the stairs to the third floor and found my broom, where I had left it before lunch.

On the way up I ran into the superintendent and asked him if there was an afternoon break. He laughed and said no. I managed to get the third floor completely swept into two piles before it was time to knock off for the day. I was tired, sore and dirty, but satisfied with my day’s work.

I was nervous going into this day because of how I was going to be received by the men and women who put in the work each day. I was concerned that they might question my motives and think that I was being patronizing, pulling a stunt or just plain crazy.

I am thankful that I was supported by my team and that they didn’t turn it into a show. I didn’t want it to be a big production. I wanted to walk a mile in the craftsman’s shoes and be able to speak to them about their work and their safety with respect and understanding.

My relationship to the superintendent and even the project engineers was turned upside down, even though this was a short-term thing. I felt like the new guy, like everyone was watching me. My world suddenly became smaller. I didn’t once think of Skanska as a global company. My thoughts were limited to my 20-foot radius, if that.

I became acutely aware that my safety was completely up to me and how I analyzed and dealt with the risks. It is very clear that the only way to prevent injuries and incidents is for the worker to know the risks beforehand and how to address those risks appropriately. Knowledge is power – the power to go home safe every night.

It was also apparent that the knowledge of risks must be comprehensive. The laborers, and most other craftsmen, spend their days bouncing around from task to task. A task in the afternoon could even be different from when it was started in the morning.

I had to constantly ask myself, “How could I get hurt or hurt others doing this?” It is the mindset, and it is a challenge. I kept the mindset for a day, but could I keep it for a week, a month, a project, a career?

I was never told a timeframe for stripping that panel, but even so, I felt like I wasn’t moving fast enough. I’m sure plenty of supervisors never let up on production and sacrifice safety in doing so. My first instinct was to try to use the tools at hand to do the work, regardless of their suitability. Human nature is to cut corners, but we have to retrain our brains to realize the dangers of doing so.

All in all, my perspective was undoubtedly skewed because I knew the next day I would be back in the trailer and I really was still the boss. But it further opened my eyes to the challenges that our industry faces, and all the more so in these times of tighter margins and an aging workforce.

But as each one of us personalizes the injury-free culture, we join the journey with many other like-minded builders and owners, and move everyone in the community closer to going home the same way we came to work, and perhaps even better.

Steve Clem, vice president of preconstruction at Skanska, is also vice president of the Greater Portland Construction Partnership. Learn more about the GPCP, a nonprofit safety advocacy organization working to achieve incident-free construction projects, at .

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