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Thursday, May 28, 2009
VP Biden boosts green jobs and training in Denver
Posted by Michelle Schenck on Thu, May 28, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Vice President Joe Biden released plans for a national program on Tuesday at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to focus on training workers for the "green job market". These green jobs will focus on making public housing more energy efficient by adding solar panels and manufacturing wind turbines.
How do they plan on doing all of this in the heat of a recession? He announced that $500 million from the economic stimulus bill will be used to retrain people who now live in low-income housing for green jobs. He went on by saying that the stimulus bill will create 450,000 new green jobs.
Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis were in attendance to handle some of the more serious budget crunch numbers and explain the importance of going green now.
Donovan stated that "$4 million from President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus plan that was budgeted to renovate public housing will be spent to create jobs for making the the dwellings more energy efficient".
When questions were brought up in the audience about spending money on this, the trio tried to stress the importance of the investing in green public housing because it will reduce energy costs for residents and the government, as well as create more jobs for people who live in the units and their neighbors.
According to the AP, the energy, education and labor departments also announced a partnership to help link the unemployed with jobs, training and education opportunities.
"How could we possibly lead in the 21st century without a fundamental change in our energy policy?" Biden said in Denver.
"It necessitates the jobs that will get us there"..."green jobs are good jobs". Simply put, yet I couldn't agree more.
Do you think this is the best course of action in creating jobs right now? Green or not? Voice your opinion here.
Comments (3)
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Why is it only for people who live in low-income housing? Just like I wondered why there is a program pushing for the unemployed to go back to school for more education and federal loans for those who qualify. Yet people with bachelor's degrees DO NOT QUALIFY. A degree is not a magic wand for getting a job, these initiatives should not be so limiting.
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Interesting. I am hopeful that part of our economic recovery includes much needed green jobs.
The nation's in the process of making a historic shift in energy policy, which will help fight global warming and provides an incremental step towards energy independence. So investing in job training is a great step, and part of a multi-pronged approach that includes tax breaks and incentives, training, and investment. The stimulus money is not just for people who live in low-income housing, but goes to those willing to invest in energy efficient home improvements and to support energy industries, like wind and solar, with extraordinary potential to improve public health (because they don't come with toxic emissions) and save people money (no wars fought for solar panels).
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