The White House Blog: Energy & Environment

Green Jobs Grants, Seizing the Opportunity of a Clean Energy Economy

Secretary Solis discusses “smart meter” technology during a visit to Nevada Energy in October.

Today the Department of Labor announced nearly $55 million in grants to help workers, many in underserved communities, find jobs in expanding green industries.

As a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, these grants reflect the administration’s long-term commitment to fostering both immediate economic growth and a clean energy future. It’s an investment that will help American workers do well, while doing good.

The recipients of today’s grants will strengthen the capacity to provide training opportunities, support the collection and dissemination of invaluable state labor market information, and most importantly, help individuals acquire green jobs.

Of the grants announced, $48.8 million focus on collecting and disseminating labor market information, which will enable job seekers to connect with green job banks and help to ensure that workers find employment after completing training. State workforce agencies will be able to work together as part of a consortium to collect information and create a regional, multi-state or national impact.

In addition, $5.8 million in grants have been awarded to increase the capacity of 62 current Labor Department grant recipients to provide training opportunities specifically focused on jobs in expanding green industries.

These grants aren’t just more money to the same players. They reflect my commitment, that of the Department of Labor and that of this administration to ensure that help finds those who need it most. Many of these training grants are targeted at traditionally underserved communities, including American Indians, women, at-risk youth, and farm workers.

As a result, programs like Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Employment for Women (ANEW) in Western Washington State will be able to provide training and certificate programs in green industries to women who are low-income, unemployed, at-risk youth, or our female veterans.

These investments are part of nearly $500 million in Recovery Act money for green jobs grants designed to promote economic growth. Over the next several months the Department of Labor will release funding for an additional three green grant award categories.

I encourage you all to visit www.doleta.gov for information on the recipients of the current grants as well as information about upcoming grant opportunities.

It is time for America to seize the opportunity of a clean energy economy, and American workers must lead this green revolution.  That is why we are investing these dollars here at home in American jobs and American innovation.  By making strategic choices now, we will restore our country’s role as a global leader in the clean energy industry.

Hilda Solis is the Secretary of Labor

The US and China: Towards a Clean Energy Economy

After a warm welcome in Beijing's historic Great Hall of the People, President Obama and President Hu sat down to discuss the many overlapping issues facing both nations, including China's growing economy and its effect on the US and the rest of the world and the exciting education reforms happening in each country:

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  As we both affirmed, the United States and China have a great many mutual interests.  And after 30 years of bilateral relations, I think it's fair to say that our two governments have continued to move forward in a way that can bring even greater cooperation in the future.

And I want to reaffirm the fact that the American people are interested in stronger relations with the people of China, and that the more that we can encourage people-to-people exchanges that are consistent with the discussions that we're having at the government level, the more that China and the United States will be able to work cooperatively on a whole range of issues -- both economic issues, security issues, and global issues that are in the interest not just of our two nations but the entire world.

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao speak during a joint press conference held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov 17, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

One topic of particular interest to both leaders is a joint initiative towards clean energy, and President Obama and President Hu introduced a far-reaching package of measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy. An abridged version of the measures is below, and the full version is available here:  

The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center will facilitate joint research and development of clean energy technologies by teams of scientists and engineers from the United States and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country.

The U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative will include joint standards development, demonstration projects in more than a dozen cities, technical roadmapping and public education projects, all aimed at eventual deployment of electric vehicles to reduce oil dependence.

The U.S. China Energy Efficiency Action Plan will allow the two countries to work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial facilities, and consumer appliances, culminating with an annual U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum, rotating between the two countries.

The U.S. China Renewable Energy Partnership will facilitate development of roadmaps for wide-spread renewable energy deployment.  A new Advanced Grid Working Group made up of American and Chinese developers and strategists will help plan for grid modernization in both countries, and a new U.S.-China Renewable Energy Forum will be held annually, rotating between the two countries.

A 21st Century Coal Initiative, for which the two Presidents pledged to promote cooperation on cleaner uses of coal, will include large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects. 

A Shale Gas Initiative, will allow the U.S. and China to use experience gained in the United States to assess China’s shale gas potential, promote environmentally-sustainable development of shale gas resources, conduct joint technical studies to accelerate development of shale gas resources in China, and promote shale gas investment in China through the U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, study tours, and workshops.

The U.S. China Energy Cooperation Program will leverage private sector resources for project development work in China across a broad array of clean energy projects, to the benefit of both nations.  

Read more about the President's historic 10-day trip to Asia here.

President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao together at a reception before the formal state dinner at Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Nov. 17, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Recognizing the Scientists of Today and Tomorrow

(First Lady Michelle Obama visits the Department of Energy for the National Science Bowl competition in Washington, D.C., Nov. 5, 2009. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

During a visit yesterday to the Department of Energy, First Lady Michelle Obama was all smiles as she praised employees for their bright ideas, innovation, and hard work—all in the name of making the United States a more energy-efficient country. She also made sure to highlight the importance of investing in the future scientists of the country—the children who today sit in math and science classes across the country, and tomorrow will be working in our labs:

But whether it's doing groundbreaking scientific research; or ensuring our nuclear security; making our homes, our offices, our cars, appliances more efficient; or fighting to turn the tide on climate change, what you're doing here couldn't be more urgent.  Your work is critical for our economy and our national security and preserving our environment for our kids and our grandkids.  That's the work that you do.

And it's not easy.  Everyone knows it's not easy.  And I know that most of what you're working on right now, as hard as you're working, probably won't even be finished this year, or maybe not even this administration, or even during the course of your careers here at the Department.  You may not see the final outcome of the work that you're doing.

So in the coming decades, you all will be passing the torch to the next generation.  Truly, you're going to be handing over what you've begun to a lot of young people who are right now just beginning to develop -- those future scientists and public servants.  And it truly will be up to that next generation, it's going to be up to them, our children, our grandchildren, the young people that we mentor, it's going to be up to them to carry all of this wonderful work forward. 

First Lady Michelle Obama listens as Energy Secretary Steven Chu asks questions during the National Science Bowl competition at the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., Nov. 5, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

A Look Back at National Energy Awareness Month

On October 2, The President proclaimed October “National Energy Awareness Month,” a month to recognize the contributions of individuals, organizations, and companies committed to taking charge and creating an American clean energy future.

So what was the Obama Administration up to during Energy Awareness Month?

October 5: The President Signs an Executive Order on Federal Sustainability which directs the Federal government to lead by example, practice what we preach and help build a clean energy economy through how we operate—a personnel of more than 1.8 million in the Federal government and military. The Order asks each agency to create a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. The full text on the order can be found here.

October 19: Vice President Biden Unveils Report Focused on Expanding Green Jobs And Energy Savings For Middle Class. Along with Secretaries Chu, Donovan, and Solis, Chair Sutley, and Administrators Mills and Jackson, Vice President Biden unveiled a report on the Recovery Through Retrofit program—a program that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient. Since May 2009, eleven Departments and Agencies and six White House Offices have worked together and in mid-November, the group will submit an implementation plan to the Vice President.  See video of the report’s release here.

October 19: White House Launches GreenGov Challenge—A Bottom-Up Approach to Greening Government, running from Oct. 19 — 31, challenges federal and military personnel to take part in implementing the President’s Executive Order on Federal Sustainability by suggesting clean energy ideas and voting on others. This program can be found here and the video of the President’s announcement can be found here.

October 23: The President Challenges Americans to Lead the Global Economy in Clean Energy in Boston, MA. The President traveled to Boston, where workers will soon be breaking ground on a new Wind Technology Testing Center to test the world's newest and largest wind turbine blades. He also visited research laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working on the frontiers of solar, battery, and wind technologies. Read the President's full remarks here.

October 27: President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion Investment to Spur Transition to Smart Energy Grid in 49 States.  While in Arcadia, Florida the President, along with Carol Browner, the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, traveled to announce a $3.4 billion investment of Recovery Act funds to modernize the electric grid.   The President spoke at Florida Power and Light’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center and announced that the $3.4 billion will go towards projects that will create tens of thousands of jobs, benefit consumers in 49 states, and be matched by industry funding for a total public-private investment worth over $8 billion.To read more about the President’s travel see here.

From October 28 to 30, Cabinet Members and Administration officials fanned out across the country to discuss how the Smart Grid investment will create jobs, improve the reliability and efficiency of the electrical grid, and help bring clean energy sources from high-production states to those with less renewable generating capacity. 

• Secretary Chu; PECO in Philadelphia, PA
• Secretary Salazar; CenterPoint in Houston, TX
• Secretary Solis; Nevada Energy in Las Vegas, NV
• Secretary Donovan; Baltimore Gas and Electric in Baltimore, MD
• Administrator Jackson; Progress Energy in Raleigh, NC
• Dr. Ed Montgomery; Detroit Edison Company in Detroit, MI

October 27: Vice President Announces the Reopening of a Once-Shuttered GM Factory that will soon put people back to work building plug-in, electric hybrid vehicles.  The  Vice President announced that auto production will be returning to an old GM assembly line in Wilmington, Deleware—an example of the partnership between states and workers through the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers. Read more about the Vice President’s trip here. 

October 28: Federal Agencies Enter an Agreement Regarding Transmission Siting on Federal Lands, releasing a Memorandum of Understanding signed by nine Federal Departments and Agencies to make it faster and simpler to build transmission lines on Federal lands. See more on the agreement here.

October 30: Secretary Chu and Chair Sutley honor National Weatherization Day, highlighting the numerous funds already provided to homes and businesses across the nation, to protect American families from weather damages, save consumers in their utility costs, and prevent the waste of excess energy.

Three Clean Energy Economy Forums Hosted at the White House. Since late August, the White House has hosted several clean energy briefings with energy stakeholder groups on the clean energy message.  The first of such forums occurred on August 24 and brought in industry leaders and manufacturers from the Midwest. Just this month, three more forums brought hundreds of business and industry leaders to the White House to engage in discussion with senior Administration Officials on building the clean energy economy that will position us to prosper for generations to come. Videos of the forums can be found online here.   

Heather Zichal is Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change