The Teamsters are not considered the most progressive, Democratic-leaning of unions. They were among the biggest supporters of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

But they see the handwriting on the wall.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said today that working Americans hard hit by rising gas prices and a collapsing economy demand a comprehensive long-term program focused on exploring and developing alternative sources of energy as a solution to the crisis facing our country.

“We are not going to drill our way out of the energy problems we are facing — not here and not in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” Hoffa told labor and environmental activists at an Oakland, Calif., summit on good jobs and clean air. “We must find a long-term approach that breaks our dependence on foreign oil by investing in the development of alternate energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal power.”

Hoffa then announced the union’s withdrawal from the ANWR coalition, citing the need to build a green economy that fosters the development of alternative energy sources and creates good union jobs — instead of lining the pockets of big oil tycoons.

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“Our economy is in shambles. Gas is climbing to $5 a gallon. The dollar has collapsed. Inflation is on the rise. Americans are seeing their paychecks shrink. Their family health care is being slashed,” Hoffa said. “Finding a long-term solution has a tremendous upside. It will be environmentally friendly and will serve as a much-needed boost to our sagging economy.”

Politics, economics and ecology all converge in one answer — no fossil fuels for energy. It’s as simple and elegant a solution as it is challenging to implement. But with men and women continuing to die in resource driven conflict, families losing their homes and people all over the world struggling to pay for food, can we really afford to keep doing what we’re doing?