WASHINGTON
–
U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today applauded the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) award of $1 million in
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act
funds to the Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) to expand its weatherization job training center.
The funding will allow BCCC to provide training to 200 low-income, unemployed, or underemployed individuals to work in the growing field of energy efficiency.
”
This Recovery funding will allow BCCC to become a leader in our state in training workers for jobs in the growing industry of energy savings and efficiency,” said
Senator Cardin.
“Our nation must move toward a clean energy economy if we are going to be competitive in the global marketplace and this funding will provide the training that is necessary to for skilled jobs in this growing field.”
“The Recovery Act is about jobs, jobs, jobs,”
Senator Mikulski said. “BCCC’s weatherization job training center will help people who need a job and can’t find one. And it will help people who want to keep a job or move up in a job but need more training. This new workforce will help struggling Marylanders by reducing the burden of energy costs and at the same time will lessen the strain on our energy systems and support the economies of communities that are hurting the most.”
The Recovery Act has made unprecedented investments in building
America
‘s clean energy future, including $5 billion to significantly ramp up the pace of weatherization in the
United States
. The training programs announced today will support a range of public- and private-energy efficiency efforts, including the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, which has already funded the weatherization of nearly 200,000 homes since last February using both Recovery Act and annual program funds.