Topeka ? Union leaders and environmental groups in Kansas are joining forces to promote what they see as the potential for thousands of “green” energy jobs.

The new Kansas Blue Green Alliance planned to meet Thursday at the Topeka headquarters of the United Steelworkers Local 307. Other unions as well as the Sierra Club and other environmental groups are taking part.

The alliance contends that efforts to wean the U.S. off oil and other fossil fuels won’t hurt the economy. Instead, the coalition says development of wind farms and other types of renewable energy could boost the economy.

Sierra Club spokeswoman Stephanie Cole says a conversation between environmentalists and labor leaders is crucial to the debate over energy policy.