Ahead of tonight’s State of the Union address, the BlueGreen Alliance asked President Barack Obama to focus on climate change and rebuilding the country’s infrastructure in his second term.

“It’s time we move forward with a bold vision to get the systems we rely on every day in America – power, water, transportation, and communications – back to where we need to be to safeguard our communities as best we can,” said David Foster, the group’s executive director. “We’re calling on President Obama to lay out a clear path for reducing carbon pollution, rebuilding America’s infrastructure, creating good jobs and building a stronger, cleaner, and fairer economy.”

The alliance wants steps taken to reduce carbon pollution front power plants and improve efficiency in manufacturing while upgrading the country’s electrical grid.

“By investing now in our infrastructure, including energy and water infrastructure, we can cut down on inefficiencies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create good American jobs and ensure that our infrastructure is reliable in the face of the impacts of climate change,” said Mike Langford, president of the Utility Workers Union of America.

The BlueGreen Alliance is a partnership of unions and environmental organizations, including the Sheet Metal Workers union. The president’s speech before Congress is at 9 p.m. Eastern.