Calls measure “historic”, “visionary” and “the next step for meeting CA’s Million Solar Roofs Goal”
East Los Angeles
– While touring the East Los Angeles Skills Center’s solar installer
training program facility, Environment California joined with dozens of
other organizations in applauding Congresswoman Hilda Solis for her
leadership in promoting green jobs in California and the rest of the
country.
“Congresswoman Solis is a real champion of both the
environment and economic development,” said Dan Jacobson, Legislative
Director of Environment California. “Renewable energy is one of the
fastest growing markets in the world and we applaud this visionary and
historic piece of legislation making funds available for schools, like
the East Los Angeles Skills Center, to provide hands-on training for
the next generation to build America’s clean energy future.”
The
‘‘Green Jobs Act of 2007’’ was authored by Congresswoman Solis and
passed via the federal energy bill this past fall. The act will provide
$125 million to programs designed to train workers in the field of
renewable energy. These funds and the vision of building a green
economy and creating jobs are critical to California. For California to
meet its goal of building a million solar roofs by 2017, as mandated by
state law (SB 1), the state will need an estimated 10,000 solar
installers. The state currently has just a fraction of this number of
trained installers statewide.
“For California to meet our
million solar roofs goal, we’ll have to train thousands of new workers
in the skills of installing, marketing and inspecting solar energy
systems throughout the state,” said Jacobson. “By launching initiatives
to spur solar training programs in California, we will not only help
solve global warming and cut air pollution but we will create jobs and
build a stronger economy.”
Environment California also applauds
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her leadership role in ensuring this act
was passed this past fall. Environment California is urging state
leaders to launch a statewide initiative to take advantage of federal
funds and leverage private dollars to launch hundreds of solar training
programs statewide.
