U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Kicks off Middle Class Task Force's inaugural meeting with focus on green jobs

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Creating green jobs is the first order of business for the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families. Led by Vice President Joe Biden, the Task Force held its inaugural meeting on Feb. 27, 2009 in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. "At a time when good jobs and good wages are harder and harder to come by - it is critical we find new and innovative work opportunities for middle class families," said Biden. "That's why we're here today - to learn and listen about how investing in green jobs can help build a strong middle class."

"Our energy and climate challenges offer us an opportunity to invest in new infrastructure, new buildings, new business models and new skills for American workers. I call this the energy opportunity," John Podesta of the Center for American Progress said in the meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vice President Joe Biden chairs the task force, which also includes Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan.

President Barack Obama last week announced more than $20 billion for investment in a cleaner, greener economy, including $500 million for green job training. A new Task Force report released at the meeting shows that investment will help to create tens of thousands of high-quality green jobs. The report finds that green jobs pay 10 to 20 percent more than others. Green jobs are more likely to be unionized than other jobs, which the Task Force report says will help to "strengthen middle class families and provide pathways into the middle class for disadvantaged workers." Successful green job models in cities and states across America require government leadership to get the engine of green job growth started, according to the report.

"Green jobs aren't just jobs of the future, they are jobs of today. By investing in our nation's greatest asset - its people - we cannot only reduce dependency on foreign oil and emissions in the future, but also restore economic security for all today," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, "Economic recovery is about more than making sure that Wall Street rebounds or the big banks survive; a true recovery means an economy that works for middle class families. That's why the Obama-Biden plan to invest in renewable energy and make our homes and businesses more efficient is so critical. We can create millions of new jobs, save families money on their energy bills and end our dangerous dependence on foreign oil."

Pennsylvania elected officials, and representatives of labor and environment groups contributed to strategies for building a greener economy. Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, offered a new report by the Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness prepared for EDF, three building trades unions and the Industrial Union Council that identifies low-carbon technologies that can produce green jobs and help combat global warming. The "Manufacturing Climate Solutions" version of November 2008 shows the most promising technologies to be LED lighting, high-performance windows, auxiliary power units for trucks, concentrating solar power, and a new way of treating hog wastes by turning them into clean soil nutrients. This month two new technologies were added - heat pump water heaters, and recycling industrial waste energy such as exhaust heat and combustible gases to generate electricity.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced a grant of $1.1 million to the Philadelphia Energy Coordinating Agency to train workers for green jobs, in collaboration with the mayor's office. The training center is scheduled to open in 2010. A city-wide green jobs apprenticeship program is being designed by the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, funded by a $125,000 Knight Foundation planning grant. The Green Jobs Corps will aim to match basic skills training with employers’ needs and strive to connect local green companies to the region’s workforce. "These two efforts will open the doors of opportunity for low-wage workers to advance into career ladder jobs, while cementing the region's leadership in the green economy," said Matt Bergheiser, program director for Knight Foundation.

All materials distributed at the meeting, along with transcripts and video posts, will be up on the Task Force's public website, http://www.whitehouse.gov/strongmiddleclass. Public input is welcome.

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Photos courtesy of UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg, james4america.wordpress.com, Getty Images, UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch

Original Source: Environment News Service and CNN

Related Links: Liveblog: The Task Force's first meeting and Report released by the Task Force

Official Site: A Strong Middle Class Task Force