Washington, DC – The following letter was sent today from Center for American Progress Action Fund President John D. Podesta to Senators Bernard Sanders and Hillary Clinton. In the letter, Podesta expresses his support of the Sanders-Clinton Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program that will be offered as an amendment to the upcoming energy bill.
Senator Bernard Sanders
United States Senate
332 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Senator Hillary Clinton
United States Senate
476 Russell Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
June 9, 2007
Dear Senators Sanders and Clinton,
I write to express my strong support for the proposed Sanders-Clinton Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program that will be offered as an amendment to the upcoming energy bill, and to encourage other Senators to join in support of this provision as co-sponsors. This is a critically important energy and jobs measure that will help to ensure both America’s future energy and economic security.
As our nation confronts the twin challenges of our escalating energy dependence and a mounting climate crisis, we are presented by a remarkable opportunity to meet these pressing demands with new more efficient and ever cleaner sources of energy. This “energy opportunity” represents a chance to rebuild our communities, to better train our workers, and to reinvest in the basic infrastructure of the nation. This amendment takes a significant step forward in meeting the practical need to ensure that American firms and workers have the cutting edge skills to participate in the growing market for clean and efficient energy, and to capture the jobs of the future.
Even as wind and solar energy experience explosive annual growth rates, the utility industry is facing retirement of half its workers within the decade, while the National Renewable Energy Lab has identified a shortage of skilled workers as a major barrier to deployment of renewable and efficient energy. This amendment strategically invests $100,000,000 dollars into a more robust labor market and skills training that will prepare up to 30,000 workers to jump start these booming industries that America invented. This is a smart investment in a safer, more prosperous, and more competitive U.S. economy.
By enhancing the workforce investment system, and working with state governments, non-profit community groups, and both labor and management, this amendment offers an efficient path forward for the American economy. Targeting workers displaced by shifting energy policies, enhanced skills for returning veterans, pathways out of poverty for those most in need of work, and a reliable labor market for both small business and heavy industry represents a sound investment in the future. This amendment will help build a state of the art economy and expand markets for renewable energy, good jobs in construction and building trades, and job security for the U.S. auto industry. Thank you for your leadership on this issue. The Center for American Progress Action Fund solutes your vision, and offers its full support for this important measure.
Sincerely,
John D. Podesta
President and CEO
Center for American Progress
Action Fund