Congresswoman Solis, California, Democrat, a Member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is developing lesgislation that would support both market and technology development requirements but also capacity development. The goal is to assist with social equity and access issues for transition economy workers. Reports from the USA state that the legislation will invest in green jobs as means to help workers and low-income people get in on the ground floor of this booming sector of the U.S. economy.
Her exciting, new proposal would give federal support to “green collar job training” programs, which would help give U.S. workers (and would-be workers) access to the skills they will need to compete in the new, green job market.
In the words of Solis’s Legislative Director Megan J. Uzzell: “Chairman Markey and Congresswoman Solis both understand the importance of saying to America’s workers, particularly those in urban and rural underserved communities, that there is a place for them in the green economy.”
Climate Risk view this legislation as landmark breakthrough thinking. Many localĀ economies both in North America and Europe but also Australia that are highly carbon exposed, would benefit from this type of legislation. A key issue missing from green energy proposals is the retraining and assistance mechanisms for both the transistion of carbon sector workers but also skills development for new workers.
