Community Jobs in the Green Economy (Apollo Alliance)

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Community Jobs in the Green Economy
A Vision for a Green Economy and Equitable Development

At last, Congress is leading the charge to create good jobs in the new energy economy. When the Energy Savings Act of 2007 comes to a vote in the Senate within the next two weeks, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will offer a first-of-its-kind amendment to train workers in the new skills needed to build a robust renewable energy and efficiency industry. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) will champion a parallel amendment in the House of Representatives that also includes a crucially important provision to establish pilot programs to train inner-city youth and other “at risk” individuals for a new generation of “green collar” jobs.

Last week, the Apollo Alliance took its first-string advocacy team to the Hill to advocate for the Sanders/Solis “green collar” jobs package. Apollo President Jerome Ringo told the House Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, “By focusing on creating clean energy jobs, we can make the new energy future relevant to people’s everyday lives.”

Van Jones, President of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and convener of the Oakland, CA Apollo Alliance, swatted away tough curve ball questions hurled by Rep. Jim Sensennbrenner (R-WI), the Committee’s top-ranking Republican. As Van reported:

“Sensenbrenner questioned whether new eco-entrepreneurs shouldn’t pay for their own job training programs – and leave government funding out of it.

Of course, most countries work hard to nurture their growing industries, seeing government-funded education and job training as one of the most basic ways to support them. Dumping 100 percent of the worker-training costs onto a nascent industry is one sure way to kill it in the cradle.”

Apollo Alliance organizer, Elsa Barboza of SCOPE/AGENDA, gave a compelling testimonial to the good jobs that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will create in Los Angeles by putting residents to work weatherizing 1,000 of the city’s public buildings.

Click here to learn more about green collar jobs and to read the testimony from the hearing.

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