Vice President Biden Seeks Green Jobs for the Middle Class

The proposals are expected to build on the foundation laid in the economic stimulus package enacted in February, Biden said.

"People ask me all the time - how can we expand opportunities for green jobs? How does a green economy help middle class families?" said the vice president. "That's why today I am asking the Council on Environmental Quality to report back to the task force in 90 days with proposals that expand those opportunities, and boost energy savings for the middle class."

Such proposals could include expanding retrofitting of commercial buildings, making American homes more energy efficient, and developing better tools to help people find green jobs, he suggested.

Through the stimulus package, formally called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the administration has invested in making America's homes more energy efficient, increasing previous funding levels for weatherization and retrofit of buildings.

A weatherization project makes an Ohio home more energy efficient. (Photo courtesy CAC Belmont County)

The Recovery Act designates $500 million for in green jobs training for projects that prepare workers for careers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.

In its "Green Jobs Update" issued at the meeting today, the Task Force on the Middle Class announced a new green jobs training program funded by that $500 million.

The $500 million will be distributed through five funding streams - State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants, Energy Training Partnership Grants, Pathways out of Poverty Grants, State Sector Training Grants, and, Green Capacity Building Grants.

Portions of the funds available under the Energy Training Partnership Grants and State Sector Training Grants will be reserved for communities or regions undergoing auto industry related restructuring. These funds will facilitate the transition of middle-class auto and auto-related workers to the green/energy efficient workforce.

"We defined green jobs broadly as jobs that help to improve the environment in some way," the task force states in the update. "That includes blue collar workers building out the smart grid to efficiently move the wind power (green, renewable energy) from the mid-west to major urban centers on both coasts. It includes 'weatherizers' who can diagnose and repair the energy inefficiencies in your house or business. And it includes the green manufacturers who made those wind turbines or the scientists and lab technicians who developed those renewable energy sources and weatherization materials."

As part of the $500 million announcement, the task force said new partnerships are being created between the Departments of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Education and Labor that are intended to make it easier for people to find green jobs and connect to the training they need to fill them.

To secure optimal outcomes from the Recovery Act, Biden said the government needs to maximize federal coordination, ensure accountability, promote best practices and facilitate growth of the energy efficiency sector.

"The time has come to move toward a stronger national market in energy efficiency services, one that can evolve national training standards and be propelled by revolving loan funds and other forms of private financing," he said.

At Biden's request, the White House Council on Environmental Quality will play the convening and coordinating role for agencies to identify and create proposals to expand green opportunities and energy savings for the middle class.

The CEQ will head up a Recovery through Retrofit Interagency Working Group, which will work with the Office of the Vice President and the Middle Class Task Force.

Retrofitting and upgrading buildings so that they waste less energy benefits the middle class through job creation, entrepreneurial and business opportunities, a healthier environment, and reduced home energy costs, the task force said.

The Department of Energy has found that for the average homeowner, a $2,500 investment in home retrofitting can reduce average annual energy consumption by 30 percent, saving up to about $900 a year for an average household.

In the United States, buildings consume 72 percent of electricity, and 39 percent of all energy, and buildings produce 38 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. There is tremendous potential for saving energy and improving the environment by retrofitting these buildings, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.