Today, Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), member of the House Education and Labor Committee, led 22 of his colleagues in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging the inclusion of investments in the Build Back Better Act to assist coal and oil refinery workers impacted by the shift to clean energy.
"Thank you for your steady leadership advancing the Build Back Better Act through the Congress. We are writing to urge the inclusion of an investment package to assist coal and oil refinery workers in the shift to a clean energy economy as part of this historic bill," the lawmakers write. "There is no doubt that the U.S. must transition rapidly to clean energy to save life on Earth as we know it from the threat of the climate crisis. However, we will not succeed politically, and our investments will not be just if we fail to center the hardworking Americans and communities who have relied on the coal and oil refinery industries to support their families in this transition. We must ensure that these workers have a seat at the table in this transition, and that no worker is left behind."
"We can strengthen the Build Back Better Act's major climate provisions by providing robust support for workers impacted by the transition. That's why we are requesting that the Build Back Better Act include an investment of $32 billion over 10 years, to be administered at the U.S. Department of Treasury, for direct payments to dislocated coal and oil refinery workers for wage replacement, retirement contributions, health care support, and education and training for themselves and their children to break the cycle of generational poverty," the lawmakers continue. "Such an investment is not new in our nation's history, as the country has invested in workers many times to counter economic displacements."
The letter was signed by Reps. Paul Tonko (NY-20), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Cori Bush (MO-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Marie Newman (IL-03), Peter Welch (VT-AL), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Sean Casten (IL-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) and Darren Soto (FL-09).
Source:https://andylevin.house.gov/media/press-releases/levin-leads-colleagues-letter-house-leadership-advocating-assistance-coal-and
