FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2020
ICYMI:
“It’s Going to be a Win-Win for Virginians:” Senator Mark Warner, Congressman Donald McEachin, and Delegate Kathy Tran Hold Roundtable on Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” Plan
Yesterday, Senator Mark Warner, Congressman Donald McEachin, Delegate Kathy Tran, and Virginia leaders held a roundtable on Joe Biden’s plan to “Build Back Better” by creating jobs to build a clean energy future. They discussed how Biden will use this crisis as an opportunity to create strong union jobs in Virginia in the fields of solar and wind, retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient, and clean energy transportation. They also discussed how Virginia is well-positioned geographically and structurally to take advantage of all the new clean-energy jobs.
See below for key quotes from the discussion:
“We know that if we build back stronger, we can provide literally millions of jobs, increase quality of life, decrease our reliance on energy,” said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). “I think the Biden plan offers us an Earth we can live on and be proud of, an economy that is going to provide high-paying quality jobs with benefits, an energy future that will allow us in our communities to live cleaner, and an infrastructure plan that basically will say ‘if you want to live in the Southside, if you want to live in Southwest, if you want to live in the Valley,’ you can still have access to world-class jobs because you will have the kind of connectivity the 21st century demands.”
“When Donald Trump hears ‘climate crisis,’ he says hoax. When Joe Biden hears ‘climate crisis,’ he says jobs. We are going to be providing hundreds of thousands of jobs not only in terms of providing renewable energy, but also in terms of coming out with new technologies, especially in the area of carbon capture,” said Congressman Donald McEachin (VA-04). “I am confident in America and Joe Biden because no one innovates like Americans, but Americans. We lead the world in innovation. And we’ll come up with the technologies, we’ll provide the jobs, we’ll provide the training, and we will save this planet.”
“[In Virginia] We are doing really well in training and credentialing our workforce. Earlier today the Governor’s Chief Workforce Advisor was telling us that we have one of the best systems in the state,” said Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax County). “We have built experience training workers for these types of jobs. The ability to train the workforce, the geography, and the ability to take advantage of the new jobs is going to a win-win for Virginians and Virginia families.”
“When you think about these wind turbines out there, just think also over the overall supply chain on shore that has to support that effort. It’s a brand new industry and there is so much opportunity for not only people coming out of high school, but people who want to reinvent themselves,” said Jason Parker, President of the Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council. “Think about the military presence here in the Hampton Roads area. It’s going to be a wonderful opportunity and these are real jobs. This is upward mobility in action. It’s bundling so many good values and things at one time.”
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