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SHOULD THE U.S. Have A Public Industrial Policy? Transportation d il Pli i A variety of U.S. interest groups are advocating a green jobs agenda, most of which include public transportation. Much of this echoes similar strategies in other countries. >By CLIFF HENKE AS WAS POINTED OUT IN THE RECENT METRO article covering Buy America policies ("What Really Helps U.S. Public Transportation Manufacturers?," September/October 2012, p. 62-67), the most effective policy to increase jobs in public transportation supplier companies is a predictable growth in U.S. public transportation spending, particularly in capital expenditures. Interest groups, however, continue to 4 < mETRO mAGAZINE FACT BOOK 2013 advocate for additional steps designed to help U.S. suppliers. This article will examine several of these proposals and test them against any record of success of similar pro- posals in the industry's history. What is clear at the outset, however, is that most of these proposals originate from outside the industry and seem discon- nected from these past efforts. It is also clear that other nations undertake similar policies, with a mixed record of results. These policies will also be examined and compared against the U.S. efforts. GROWING INTEREST FROM OUTSIDE A variety of interest groups have argued for a "green jobs" initiative borne out of the recent Great Recession as well as concerns about sustainability. Recent examples include the BlueGreen metro-magazine.com