House Passes Green Jobs Legislation Including Delgado Amendment to Support Workforce Development

Statement

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, a bipartisan coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives passed of H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, comprehensive legislation made up of bipartisan measures to address climate change and put our nation on the path to achieve a clean energy future. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) successfully amended this bill to support future workforce development with language from his Green Jobs and Opportunity Act.

Rep. Delgado's amendment requires the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy to prepare quarterly reports projecting current and future workforce needs within clean energy technology industries. These reports would allow the federal government to understand what opportunities exist for job growth and development, and help give Americans the skills they need to prepare for the job demands of a 21st Century economy.

"We have both a moral and an economic imperative to address climate change and give our nation the tools needed to prepare for a clean energy future. Today, I was proud to vote for the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which includes elements of my Green Jobs and Opportunity Act to help ready our nation for the next generation of green jobs. Specifically, my amendment would require the Departments of Labor and Energy to prepare quarterly reports on workforce demands in the clean energy economy. This will allow us to train people with the skills needed to fill these jobs in fast growing industries," said Rep. Delgado. "We have much more work to do to address climate change and invest in economic growth. I will keep pushing at the federal level to bring my Green Jobs legislation to the floor and grow our upstate economy with a workforce prepared to meet the energy needs of tomorrow."

The Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act includes programs to develop renewable energy, improve efficiency in American homes and businesses, electrify transportation and infrastructure, reduce carbon pollution, and more. This legislation:

Authorizes over $4 billion for research and development of renewable energy technologies.
Sets new energy efficiency standards for buildings, which roughly count towards 30% of greenhouse gas pollution, and provides funding for schools, homes, and manufacturing facilities to improve energy efficiency.
Includes funding to modernize the electric grid and authorizes over $36 billion to improve energy-efficient infrastructure.
Modernizes the Department of Energy's vehicle technology grant programs to expand eligibility for certain low- and zero-emission vehicles.
Establishes a clean energy workforce development program to educate and train the next generation of clean energy researchers, scientists, and professionals.
Requires that all public projects funded by the bill only use goods produced in the United States.
###

Source