Moon
08-07-2007, 10:41 PM
It passed! For the first time in history, Congress approved legislation that will address both the climate crisis and the poverty crisis by passing the Green Jobs Act of 2007 on Saturday.
The bill authorizes $125 million annually for greening the nation's workforce, including job training for 35,000 people every year. Even more unprecedented, it allocates $25 million each year to fund programs like the Oakland Green Jobs Corps. Those dollars will create green "pathways out of poverty" for poor people and people of color.
The call for green-collar jobs is growing louder. Emerging green businesses across the nation are thirsty for qualified workers. And urban youth want to get to work. Put the two together and you've got an idea that just can't wait.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees the wisdom of our clean energy vision. President Bush vowed to veto this groundbreaking bill specifically because of the workforce training component. So while we're celebrating our victory in the House today, we're also gearing up for a big fight in the coming weeks. We need to build a national movement, and fast.
Surely you know some people who can help us stand up to President Bush and stand for clean energy jobs. Click here to invite everyone you know to join this important fight: https://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=66&contentid=303
We'd like to thank everyone who made Saturday's victory possible -- starting with you. Thousands of people across the country urged their Representatives to support the Green Jobs Act of 2007. We'd also like to thank Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for her stewardship of the bill, as well as Representatives Hilda Solis (D-CA) and John Tierney (D-MA) for sponsoring the bill. Finally, we'd like to thank the Apollo Alliance, the Workforce Alliance and the Campaign for America's Future, our partners in shaping this legislation.
The bill authorizes $125 million annually for greening the nation's workforce, including job training for 35,000 people every year. Even more unprecedented, it allocates $25 million each year to fund programs like the Oakland Green Jobs Corps. Those dollars will create green "pathways out of poverty" for poor people and people of color.
The call for green-collar jobs is growing louder. Emerging green businesses across the nation are thirsty for qualified workers. And urban youth want to get to work. Put the two together and you've got an idea that just can't wait.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees the wisdom of our clean energy vision. President Bush vowed to veto this groundbreaking bill specifically because of the workforce training component. So while we're celebrating our victory in the House today, we're also gearing up for a big fight in the coming weeks. We need to build a national movement, and fast.
Surely you know some people who can help us stand up to President Bush and stand for clean energy jobs. Click here to invite everyone you know to join this important fight: https://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=66&contentid=303
We'd like to thank everyone who made Saturday's victory possible -- starting with you. Thousands of people across the country urged their Representatives to support the Green Jobs Act of 2007. We'd also like to thank Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for her stewardship of the bill, as well as Representatives Hilda Solis (D-CA) and John Tierney (D-MA) for sponsoring the bill. Finally, we'd like to thank the Apollo Alliance, the Workforce Alliance and the Campaign for America's Future, our partners in shaping this legislation.