In response to the Biden White House’s announcement that the president intends to nominate Julie Su to be the next Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary, Evergreen Action Executive Director Jamal Raad released the following statement:

“We’re in the midst of the biggest climate and clean energy job boom in history—we must be prepared to develop our workforce to meet the moment. The announcement that President Biden intends to nominate Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su as the next leader of DOL is exciting as we look to workforce challenges ahead—like hiring up for our clean energy future.

“Hundreds of billions of dollars for climate and clean energy are being injected into the American economy from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). And these investments are opening up the door to hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs nationwide, across a multitude of industries. But, as these investments have skyrocketed the jobs market to new heights, workforce development challenges are on the horizon. The next Secretary of Labor must be prepared to tackle these challenges head-on, by prioritizing apprenticeship and workforce training for the burgeoning careers in climate and clean energy. Growing the workforce that will make our clean energy future a reality is a major labor challenge of our time, and Ms. Su must be ready to face this monumental task.”

Evergreen Action previously highlighted five action steps the DOL could take to prioritize climate and clean energy as part of its 5 to Mobilize series, published at the start of the Biden administration. You can read the full set of recommendations for the DOL here.  

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