VIDEO: Rep. Wild Amendment to Create Clean Energy Economy Workforce Program Passes House
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) applauded House passage of her amendment yesterday to create a Clean Energy Economy Workforce Program. Her amendment, which passed as a key component of H.R.4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, would establish an apprenticeship program to create new opportunities for workers at risk of being displaced.
Wild's amendment prioritizes grants to entities that have a successful history of placing pre-apprentice graduates into full apprenticeship programs or into employment, and bolsters local businesses by creating a sliding scale of federal cost-sharing — devoting a greater percentage of resources to small local businesses.
"Putting cleaner energy first is not just an environmental imperative – it's an economic priority," Wild said. "My amendment offers not only a down payment on the future of cleaner energy, but a down payment on the future of our workforce. I'm proud to see it pass the House as part of this forward-thinking legislation to grow our green economy."
H.R.4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, makes long-overdue reforms to U.S. energy policy and authorizes major investments in the transition to a low-carbon future. This legislation promises to usher in a new era in American innovation, serving as a down-payment on comprehensive climate action. It includes programs to improve the efficiency of our homes and businesses; electrify our transportation sector; modernize the grid and enhance its resiliency; prioritize the needs of environmental justice communities; and reduce carbon pollution from industrial and traditional sources. Taken together, these measures provide a path towards modernizing our energy system while taking an important step to tackling the climate crisis and growing our economy.
A SECTION-BY-SECTION of H.R.4447 is available HERE.
A FACT SHEET on H.R.4447 is available HERE.
###