US Senators Chris Van Hollen, Ed Markey, Tom Carper, Sheldon Whitehouse and Ben Cardin have reintroduced legislation to address the needs of the US offshore wind industry and train new and existing workers through a grant programme
The legislation directs the Department of Energy to identify the offshore wind industry’s needs by engaging with stakeholders including labour, institutions of higher education, industry, ports, and state and local governments. Based on this initial industry workforce gap analysis, a grant programme would be created to support training new and incumbent workers, provide tuition assistance, and support apprenticeship programmes.
The grant programme would authorise US$25M a year from fiscal year 2022 through 2026. More importantly, the legislation would, the legislators believe, create thousands of jobs and help the Department of the Interior, Energy, and Commerce meet its goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and create tens of thousands of jobs in American coastal communities.
Senator Van Hollen said, “Investing in clean energy like offshore wind will not only help us tackle the threat of climate change but will also create tens of thousands of new jobs. This bill will help provide Marylanders and folks across the country with the skills they need to access these good-paying union jobs, and ultimately spur greater economic growth and opportunity in our communities. Simply put, it’s win-win for our environment and our economy, and key to our efforts to build a stronger workforce and generate more shared prosperity.”
Senator Markey said, “America’s clean energy future is blowing in the offshore wind. And the future is now. We need to prepare American workers with cutting-edge skills to help us power up our grid with this new source of clean, healthy energy generation. The Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act would not only help workers train for specific jobs, but also build good-paying, life-long, union careers in the homegrown offshore wind industry.”
BlueGreen Alliance executive director Jason Walsh said, “The offshore wind industry is growing. President Biden and state leaders have made bold commitments on offshore wind deployment, which has the potential to create quality, family sustaining jobs while producing clean, renewable energy.
“By supporting a wide variety of workforce development strategies, including union training programs, the Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act can ensure that workers have access to the skills training they need to access employment in this emerging industry.”
American Clean Power Association chief executive Heather Zichal said, “Offshore wind is the next major source of homegrown American energy, representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the maritime industry and coastal and port communities. The Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act will help expedite training the American workforce and enable the delivery of a new renewable energy resource while creating family sustaining jobs.”
National Ocean Industries Association president Erik Milito said, “America needs a skilled workforce trained and capable of operating in the unique offshore environment.
“Throughout the US, there are workers who are skilled, but they will require that specific training and expertise to work offshore supporting the rapidly expanding wind industry. The Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act will help ensure the generational opportunity offshore wind provides is not limited by a shortage of labour.”
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