The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) met with Van Jones, who is the Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Equality. The meeting’s purpose was to discuss how the Latino community could help move the new clean energy economy forward. The CHC wants to ensure that the Latino community becomes skilled for green jobs and that green jobs training programs are accessible to Latino communities–particularly the provisions in the Green Jobs Act and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“The CHC is working to make sure the nation’s Latino community is part of the new Green collar economy,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez, Chair of the CHC. “The Latino community is our nation’s largest minority population, and it is important that we harvest the talents, skills and potential of the community in this emerging sector. It is clear that the green economy is a vital component of improving the socioeconomic issues of our community. Working together, we can make sure that as we invest billions of dollars in the green economy, that return on investment includes Latino teachers, small business owners, scientists and engineers.”
“In the coming years, a strong clean energy economy will be important to create jobs and get our economy back on track,” said Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, the Chair of the Task Force on Green Economy and Renewable Energy. “Latinos have an important role in an emerging clean energy economy, and it is critically important that they are part of the discussion. We must promote clean energy job training opportunities to Latinos, to ensure they are part of this growing workforce. It is encouraging that the White House is including the Latino community in the clean energy movement.”
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