In a letter sent to Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and Rep. Tom Price, the Subcommittee' Ranking Member, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ CEO Steve Sandherr made the point that construction jobs meet all the criteria of the loosely defined "green job," including:
- Improving the environment;
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Offering good-paying jobs;
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Offering opportunities for advancement;
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Are jobs that cannot be outsourced; and
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Encouraging participation by a diverse population.
The letter was sent to the subcommittee in response to a March 31 hearing it held to "examine green jobs and their role in our nation's economic recovery."
In her opening statement, Chairwoman Woolsey noted:Â "Green industry, green technology and green jobs are our future, and will play a key role in our economic recovery."
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ of America agrees with both the general definition of a "green job" and Chairwoman Woolsey's statement. Our point in the letter was to emphasize how large a role the construction industry plays in a green economy, how important it is to capture all of the green work that our industry does - including recycling at the highest levels of any industry - and the need to provide training for traditional crafts that may "benefit by, but do not need, training in green practices in order to work successfully on a green project."
Further, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ stressed the need for the federal government to avoid over-defining "green jobs" so that it excludes large segments of the industry and highlighted the many ways that ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, its members, and chapters promote training and construction in environmentally sound and "green" practices.
The letter concluded: "By building energy efficiency into existing and future infrastructure, the construction industry is an essential partner in the nation's efforts to nurture a green economy."
The , as well as the original Green Jobs Act and Rep. Kline's amendment, referenced in the letter, can be viewed online.
