Telework Bill Proposed

If you’ve been following along here you know that our Telework Savings Calculator shows home-based work offers staggering environmental benefits. Sadly, only 3% of the U.S. workforce currently telecommutes (not including the self-employed), but 40% hold jobs that could be done from home. If those employees who could telework did so just half of the time (roughly the national average for those who already do):

• The nation would save 453 million barrels of oil (57% of Gulf oil imports)—a national savings of $31 billion per year (at $70/barrel)
• The environment would be saved from 84 million tons or greenhouse gases a year–the equivalent of taking 15 million cars off the road.
• The energy potential from the gas savings alone would total than twice what the U.S. produces from all renewable energy source combined.

We’ve been hearing rumblings about a telework bill in Washington (and we’ve been involved in creating some rumbles ourselves) ever since our new President made the point that he works at home. Yesterday, marked the first real move to encourage private companies to support telework. It was introduced by U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) as part of the Green Routes to Work Act of 2009.

The bill promotes “low-carbon” transportation options by providing tax credits for both employers and individuals.

In a press release about the bill, Blumenauer says:

“For too long, the federal government has supported commuters who drove to work but has not helped those who use other methods of transportation.”

Blumenauer’s bill wants to address that disparity by extending employer incentives to biking, walking, and telecommuting.

The bill calls for a Telework Tax Credit for qualified teleworking expenses incurred by employers and employees (to a cap of $400 per teleworker).

Three Cheers for Representative Blumenauer!