From Senator Steven Horsford

 

This past Friday, I was proud to introduce Nevada Senate Bill 152- the Green Jobs Initiative.  We have a unique opportunity to put Nevadans back to work and create a cleaner Nevada for our children. Investing in a “Green Job” economy is a two for one – we will create a more stable economy and we will invest in making the planet cleaner and safer for a brighter future.  Indeed, it is our moral responsibility to leave this state, and planet, in better shape than we found it and green jobs are an enormous step toward making that a reality.

 

As we are all aware, Nevada is facing unprecedented economic turmoil and our workforce is suffering as a result.  Across the state unemployment has risen to 9.1% and some experts believe it may rise past 11% this year.  As foreclosures have risen, our construction and service industries have been harmed.  A large portion of the 128,000 unemployed Nevadans come from the construction industry.

 

Nevada can’t afford to stay on the same path any longer. We need to grow and diversify our workforce.  Our economy has too long been dependent on two large industries—gaming and mining.  We can no longer depend on good times elsewhere to ensure good times in Nevada.

 

We need to diversify our workforce and we need to do better than we have in the past.  Despite our abundant natural resources, Nevada is lagging in the race to a green future.  We have plenty of sun and wind and geothermal resources available, but do not have the technically skilled workforce that renewable energy businesses are looking for.

 

This is not only an opportunity to create more jobs for more Nevadans, but this is also an opportunity to take a bold step towards a better tomorrow for future generations.  We can orient our state towards renewable energy leadership by taking steps now on energy efficiency.  We can reduce our energy use, saving dollars and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.  We can help Nevada families conserve, so they have the money they need to for food for the family and health care for their loved ones.  We can reduce our greenhouse emissions and leave this planet cleaner and safer for our children. These goals are within our reach, and, as I have said before, I believe that we have a moral responsibility to leave our state in better condition than we found it.

 

You may be asking—“How will we pay for all this?”

 

The Green Jobs Initiative is meant to strategically leverage federal stimulus funds that are already earmarked for specific purposes.  The Federal stimulus grants $22.3 million for Job Training, $22.6 million for Weatherization, $26.3 million for State Energy Programs, and an estimated $26 million for Energy Efficiency Block Grants. The Green Jobs Initiative takes a portion of each of these designated funds, and applies them to both job training and energy efficiency measures.

 

The job training funds will be used by the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation and the Division of Housing to contract with one or more qualified non-profit groups that will set up training programs in each of three areas: Northern, Southern, and Rural Nevada.  We can provide these workers with a career ladder and tool kit of skills that can be applied to renewable energy manufacturing, installation, and operations.

 

Next, the Green Jobs Initiative takes the Stimulus Funds allocated for Weatherization of low-income housing and for Energy Efficiency block grants and starts immediate projects to employ our newly-trained workers.  The Initiative requires prioritized lists of projects from the Board of public works, the school boards of each county, and the Board of Regents within 90 days, and starts work immediately.

 

By investing in the Green Job Initiative we can create jobs, save energy, and save our citizens’ money, both in terms of their lower home energy bills, and in terms of the lower cost of each school and state building—buildings which are among of the most wasteful buildings in our state.  We expect that we will be able to train 3,200 workers at a cost of $3,500 each.  We expect to be able to weatherize 6,550 low-income homes, more than five times the number weatherized in 2008.  We will establish Nevada as the nation’s leader in linking energy efficiency and job creation.   And at the end of the day, we will have a skilled workforce that is ready to go for a new wave of renewable energy projects, making our state an attractive place to build renewable energy businesses, once and for all establishing Nevada as a leader in the new green economy.

 

All my best,

 

Senator Steven Horsford