Support Grows for Rep. Delgado's Green Jobs and Opportunity Act

Statement

Today, Representative Antonio Delgado's (NY-19) legislation to combat climate change and prepare our workforce for a clean energy economy, H.R. 4148, the Green Jobs and Opportunity Act, has garnered support from over 50 House members. Rep. Delgado introduced H.R. 4148 in August along with Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), and unveiled the bill during a roundtable with community stakeholders at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, New York.

"The need to address climate change is more urgent than ever. I'm excited to see support grow for my Green Jobs and Opportunity Act. This critically important legislation will get us to a net-zero carbon emissions energy economy by 2050 while ensuring today's workforce is prepared for the transition." Rep. Delgado continued, "The Green Jobs and Opportunity Act has been a collaborative effort from the start--bringing together voices from colleges and universities, labor unions, green employers and environmental advocates to develop workforce training programs to meet the energy needs of tomorrow. Acquiring over fifty cosponsors is a reflection of the urgent need to identify collaborative solutions to prepare our economy for net-zero global emissions by 2050. I will continue to push for broad support for this legislation and urge House leadership to bring this needed initiative to the floor for a vote."

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to avoid the most severe impacts of a changing climate, we must achieve net-zero carbon emissions globally by 2050. Rep. Delgado's Green Jobs and Opportunity Act starts with the assumption of achieving this critical goal and then requires the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Energy (DOE) to work backward to project current and future workforce needs and shortages in the energy sector specifically. These reports would be completed quarterly and would include recommendations to ensure the U.S. remains on track with the IPCC's designated timeline. Importantly, the legislation makes a significant investment--$260 million per year for workforce development for displaced workers. This funding would be distributed as grants to educational institutions and labor organizations, among other entities, to establish flexible training programs to reduce any shortages and skill gaps that the DOL-DOE reports identify.

Rep. Delgado's legislation also establishes a National Advisory Committee on the Clean Energy Technology Workforce, made up of representatives from labor organizations, employers from clean energy fields, academia, and environmental advocacy groups, tasked with advising DOL and DOE throughout the transition process. In bringing all stakeholders to the table in this way, Rep. Delgado's bill aims to ensure the current and future workforce is prepared to capitalize on the millions of new jobs that will be created during the transition to a clean energy economy.

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