National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy

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Permalink Reply by James Everitt on February 26, 2009 at 8:10am

The first meeting: Green jobs as a pathway to "A Strong Middle Class"
Update: The AP has a preview of Friday’s Event:

ADVISORY: Vice President Biden to Lead First Middle Class Task Force Meeting in Philadelphia
THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

______________________________

For Immediate Release February 25, 2009

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

Task Force Will Focus on Green Jobs as a Pathway to a Strong Middle Class

www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov

Washington, DC – The Middle Class Task Force, led by Vice President Joe Biden, will hold its first official meeting on FRIDAY February 27th at 12:30 PM EDT at the William B. Irvine Auditorium on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. The focus of this meeting is on green jobs as a pathway to a strong middle class.

The Vice President will be joined by several cabinet members and members of the Task Force including:

Secretary of the Department of Energy Steven Chu;
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood;
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan;
Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack;
Secretary of Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan;
Department of Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis;
Director of White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes ; and
Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner

The Task Force will hear presentations from experts on the potential to create green jobs as a part of economic recovery and on how to connect people to training and opportunities in the green economy. The task force will then hold an interactive discussion with questions and answers on the information presented.

In addition, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation will join the discussion, including Senator Arlen Specter; Senator Bob Casey; Representative Chaka Fattah; and Representative Robert Brady.

Meeting Details:

Panel One: Green Jobs: What Are They And How Can They Help The Middle Class?

Panelists:

John Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for American Progress
Van Jones, President and founder of Green for All
Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund
Second Panel: Creating Green Opportunity: The Roles of Stakeholders

Panelists:

Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change

Leo Gerard, International President of the Steelworkers of America

Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter

Cecilia Estolano, Chief Executive Officer, Community Redevelopment Authority, City of Los Angeles

Mark Edlen, Co-founder and Managing Principal, Gerding-Edlen Development"

This event is OPEN to the press. Press wishing to attend must RSVP to press@ovp.eop.gov by 12 Noon on Thursday February 26th. Wireless Internet will be provided.


About the Middle Class Task Force: The Middle Class Task Force is working with a wide array of federal agencies that have responsibility for key issues facing the middle class and expedite administrative reforms, propose Executive orders, and develop legislative and policy proposals that can be of special importance to working families. One of the things that makes this task force distinctive is it brings together - in one place - those agencies that have the most impact on the well-being of the middle class in our country.

The Task Force will continue to operate with complete transparency. All materials distributed at Friday’s meeting in Philadelphia, along with transcripts and video posts will be up on our public website, www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov.

###

BACKGROUND ON PANELISTS

Panel One: Green Jobs: What Are They And How Can They Help The Middle Class?

Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund will be demonstrate a new tool which provides an interactive map of key industries with the potential to create new jobs as a result of investment in clean energy. Krupp will also highlight the quickest path to creating "green jobs," whether those are existing jobs or new jobs, particularly in states hit hard by industrial losses, and ways in which the transition to a clean energy/low carbon economy can only be realized by bringing together "old economy" strengths and "new economy" innovations.

John Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for American Progress will provide an overview of the pieces of the puzzle and how to create a policy environment where good green jobs can flourish.

Van Jones, President and founder of Green for All will discuss the ways in which we can ensure that all persons have access to quality green jobs through partnerships between government, educational institutions non-profits and labor that provide training. Jones will also touch on innovative ideas like using youth training money and service programs to provide green job training.

Panel Two: Creating Green Opportunity: The Roles of Stakeholders

Carol Browner, Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change will discuss the role of the federal government in creating green jobs as well as the creation of green jobs for the middle class in the Recovery Act and initiatives in the budget that will generate good-paying green opportunity.

Leo Gerard, the International President of the Steelworkers of America will talk about the role of the labor movement in creating green jobs and training workers for them.

Mayor Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia will discuss the role of cities in creating green jobs.

Cecilia Estolano, The Chief Executive Officer of the Community Redevelopment Authority in the City of Los Angeles will discuss the role of non-profits and city governments, and the importance of connecting training programs to job creation – so that people train for jobs that exist or are being created.

Mark Edlen, President of Gerding-Edlen, a Green Development will discuss the role of business in creating green jobs. In its innovative projects that include water and energy-conserving features Gerding Edlen creates green jobs in construction, weatherization, retrofitting, solar installation as well as design.

The President is gearing up to give his first address to a joint session of Congress tonight (it's not technically a State of the Union, since it's the first year of his administration).

Read an excerpt of his address and video below, and see the names of the Americans who will be seated in the First Lady’s box during the President’s remarks.

Permalink Reply by James Everitt on February 27, 2009 at 12:37pm

Green Jobs Staff Report

Liveblog: The Task Force's first meeting

Liveblogging at AStrongMiddleClass.gov
The Vice President and his team are in Philadelphia this morning for the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force, and it's all about how green jobs -- jobs that help us move towards a growing, greener, cleaner economy -- can be an aid to the middle class.

He makes the case in an op-ed appearing this morning in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Today's event should be really interesting. The Task Force is going to be meeting with the people who know this field the best -- the policy makers and entrepeneurs and advocates who are working together to figure out how to grow our economy and do what’s right for the environment at the same time, while making sure the middle class benefits.

We're going to be liveblogging the event over at AStrongMiddleClass.gov -- thanks to Greg Nelson from the Office of Public Liaison, who's attending the meeting -- so check back throughout the day.

The Vice President and his team are in Philadelphia this morning for the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force, with a focus on a green jobs as a pathway to a strong middle class. Greg Nelson from the White House Office of Public Liaison is attending the meeting and will be filing updates throughout the day.

11:25 a.m.: The event site in Philly is hopping. We just arrived, and students and attendees greeted the motorcade with lots of excitement. The crowd arrived early and is starting to file in, a beautiful mix of community members, labor members, small business and green business owners, and environmental groups.

11:53 a.m.: The line is reaching way out the door, giving folks a chance to meet each other and tell their stories. Just met Jim Bauer, who is the local United Steelworkers (USW) President at the Gamesa Wind Turbine facility in Fairless Hills, PA. Jim worked for US Steel at the same site for 25 years, but the plant closed. When it opened up three years ago making turbines, Jim returned to the facility and joined the machine shop. They've cranked out 509 turbines so far. Jim says optimism has returned because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

12:08 p.m.: We're just about ready to get started here. Amazing stories at every turn -- people are hurting, but the optimism around green jobs is everywhere. Dave Johnson of the Laborers Union has been working with Newark community groups on a pilot project to help train community members to weatherize local homes. It is a win, win, win -- better, healthier homes for the homeowner, long-term skills and careers for residents, and reduced energy use and carbon for the world.

(12:21 p.m.: Ed. note: The Task Force has just made public its first staff report, "Green Jobs: A Pathway to a Strong Middle C...

12:37 p.m.: And we're underway. Vice President Biden kicked things off with a rundown of why this is so important -- in many states, green companies are some of the few that are hiring. We need to create more of these opportunuities, and -- reflected by the breadth of the audience today, people are hungry for it. Electeds, business leaders, labor members, community members, students, faculty, all wanting to get to work to make this happen.

12:44 p.m.: Just as impressive as the crowd is the panel -- the VP, 6 cabinet secretaries (including newly confirmed Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the author of the Green Jobs Act), and senior White House staff. Lots of praise for Senator Specter (R-PA) for making so many green job opportunities possible with his vote on the recovery act. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) is talking about the importance of the energy efficiency components of the recovery act, and how that will help cities like Philadelphia.

12:46 p.m.: VP Biden just plugged the AStrongMiddleClass.gov and invited attendees to make sure they participate and contribute to the conversation even after today.

12:50 p.m.: First presentation is from John Podesta from the Center of American Progress, then it will be Fred Krupp from the Environmental Defense Fund and Van Jones from Green for All. You can check out Krupp's presentation and handout, as well as a video from Jones.

1:01 p.m.: Van's message is about providing opportunity and hope, and the moral responsibility to make sure this green wave is one that lifts all boats -- "a green economy that MLK would be proud of." The way to do that, he says, is to make sure green jobs crop up not just in rural and suburban areas, but in urban areas, too. To great applause: "There is a moral principle to green the ghetto first ... to give young people the chance to put down that handgun and pick up a caulking gun."

1:05 p.m.: Van is describing the impact of opportunity and inspiration. The green dollars in the opportunity act are 'the hardest working dollars the federal government has ever spent....We need a new commitment, we need a new math, and we need a new ethic. And that's how we fight poverty and pollution at the same time." And for his own inspiration and push for opportunity, Van gets a standing ovation.

FOLLOW THIS LINK: Liveblog: The Task Force's first meeting

Permalink Reply by James Everitt on February 28, 2009 at 7:17am

Green Jobs Staff Report

Liveblogging at AStrongMiddleClass.gov

The Vice President and his team are in Philadelphia this morning for the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force, and it's all about how green jobs -- jobs that help us move towards a growing, greener, cleaner economy -- can be an aid to the middle class.

He makes the case in an op-ed appearing this morning in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Today's event should be really interesting. The Task Force is going to be meeting with the people who know this field the best -- the policy makers and entrepeneurs and advocates who are working together to figure out how to grow our economy and do what’s right for the environment at the same time, while making sure the middle class benefits.

We're going to be liveblogging the event over at AStrongMiddleClass.gov -- thanks to Greg Nelson from the Office of Public Liaison, who's attending the meeting -- so check back throughout the day. You can check out Krupp's presentation and handout, as well as a video from Jones.