,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #debf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #cj1 #bjad ,mr4 ,rush 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,whitfield1 and ,mr4 ,johnson of ,ohio7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,energy to establish and carry out a comprehensive program to improve education and training for energy-related jobs4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the #bast ,century ,energy ,workforce ,development ,jobs ,initiative ,act of #bjad4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,there are1 currently and for well into the future1 significant opportunities for ,african-,americans and ,hispanic-,americans throughout the energy industry at each level of education and training1 but raising the educational achievement for large segments of the upcoming generation is resource intensive and will take decades to achieve1 although the payoff of an increased skilled labor pool would be enormous to society in general and ,united ,states industry in particular4 7#b7 ,african-,americans and ,hispanic-,americans represent an important talent pool to help meet the demands of the projected growth in the energy industry1 and workforce training and education in business1 finance1 science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics will prove vital in achieving this growth1 as noted by the ,american ,petroleum ,institute4 7#c7 ,improving minority preparation in science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics related disciplines at the primary and secondary school levels is crucial to increasing the share of minority science-based degree attainment in #d-year and #b-year programs of higher education1 as well as for increasing attainment of vocational certificates4 7#d7 ,the rates at which ,african-,americans and ,hispanic-,americans attain employment in the energy industry is in part related to the choice of the field of study for college degrees 7#d-year or #b-year7 and vocational certificates4 7#e7 ,data from the ,national ,center for ,education ,statistics suggest that1 over the #bjja through #bjaj period1 ,african-,american and ,hispanic-,american students chose and completed #d-year college degrees applicable to employment in the oil and natural gas industry at rates one-fifth and one-half1 respectively1 the rates of the total student population4 7#f7 ,with respect to #b-year associate degrees and certificates1 data from the ,national ,center for ,education ,statistics suggest that over the same time period1 ,african-,american and ,hispanic-,american students chose and completed programs of study_/training applicable to employment in the oil and natural gas industry at rates roughly one-tenth above and one-third below1 respectively1 the rates of the total student population4 7#g7 ,the ,american ,petroleum ,institute projects #ebe1jjj new job opportunities in the oil and natural gas industry by #bjbj1 with #aff1jjj1 or #ca percent of such jobs1 expected to be held by ,african-,american and ,hispanic-,american workers1 and1 with forward looking policies1 that number could increase to a projected #haa1jjj new job opportunities1 with more than #bhe1jjj1 or #ce percent1 of such jobs being filled by minorities1 by #bjcj4 7#h7 ,the ,american ,petroleum ,institute projects that more than #ej percent of all jobs created in the oil and natural gas industry by #bjbj would be high-paying skilled and semiskilled blue collar jobs1 with a significant range of opportunities at the scientific_/managerial level requiring a college degree4 7#i7 ,the ,american ,petroleum ,institute projects that over half of the future potential job growth in the oil and natural gas industry1 approximately #dag1jjj jobs1 is expected in the ,gulf region1 with the ,east region expected to contribute nearly #adj1jjj job opportunities1 the ,rockies region nearly #aaf1jjj job opportunities1 and the ,west1 ,alaska1 and ,central regions expected to contribute approximately #ach1jjj job opportunities combined4 7#aj7 ,the ,national ,mining ,association reports that the coal mining industry supported a total of #hje1fhj jobs in #bjaa4 ,that includes #bjd1ehj direct jobs1 including mine workers 7#adc1ebj71 support activities 7#g1bhj71 and transportation 7#ec1ghj74 7#aa7 ,broad occupational categories of potential job creation in the upstream oil and gas industry include-- 7,a7 management1 business1 and financial jobs2 7,b7 professional and related jobs2 7,c7 service jobs2 7,d7 sales and related jobs2 7,e7 office and administrative support jobs2 7,f7 skilled blue collar jobs2 7,g7 semiskilled blue collar jobs2 and 7,h7 unskilled blue collar jobs4 7#ab7 ,potential job creation in the upstream oil and gas industry by selected detailed occupational category include-- 7,a7 derrick1 rotary drill1 and service unit operators2 7,b7 oil and gas roustabouts2 7,c7 operating engineers and other construction workers2 7,d7 equipment operators2 7,e7 construction laborers2 7,f7 first-line supervisors_/managers of construction and extraction workers2 7,g7 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers2 7,h7 pump operators and wellhead pumpers2 7,i7 helpers and other extraction workers2 7,j7 petroleum engineers2 and 7,k7 secretaries4 7#ac7 ,the ,national ,petroleum ,council estimates that over the next decade #cj1jjj miles of new long-distance natural gas pipelines will be needed to manage the new sources of shale natural gas supply1 while a #bjjg ,census ,bureau's ,survey of ,business ,owners estimated that a very small percentage of pipelines were owned by minority-owned and woman-owned firms compared to the total owned by nonminority males4 7#ad7 ,in #bjac1 the ,energy ,information ,administration estimated that relatively low natural gas prices1 maintained by growing shale natural gas production1 will spur increased use of natural gas in the industrial and electric power sectors by #af percent1 from #f4h trillion cubic feet per year in #bjaa to #g4h trillion cubic feet per year in #bjbe1 while total consumption of natural gas in the ,united ,states will continue to grow in the electric power sector from #af percent of generation in #bjjj to #cj percent in #bjdj1 which will lead to a significant number of new jobs in the natural gas sector4 7#ae7 ,the ,energy ,information ,administration estimates natural gas production in the ,united ,states will increase annually1 outpacing domestic consumption and making the ,united ,states a net exporter of natural gas by #bjai1 while continued low levels of liquefied natural gas imports1 combined with increased ,united ,states exports of domestically sourced liquefied natural gas1 position the ,united ,states as a net exporter of liquefied natural gas by #bjaf1 creating an abundance of new jobs and investment opportunities4 7#af7 ,the ,energy ,information ,administration estimates that coal-fired electricity generation will remain a dominant resource in the ,nation's total generation portfolio1 representing #cd percent of ,united ,states baseload electricity in #bjce4 7#ag7 ,in #bjac1 a report by the ,bloomberg ,new ,energy ,finance research team estimated that clean energy investment is most likely to grow by #bcj percent to a projected #fcj billion annually in #bjcj1 driven by further improvements in the cost-competitiveness of wind and solar technologies and an increase in the roll-out of non-intermittent clean energy sources including hydropower1 geothermal1 and biomass1 requiring additional investment in science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics education4 7#ah7 ,a #bjac report by the ,bloomberg ,new ,energy ,finance research team estimated that renewable energy projects including wind1 solar1 hydropower1 and biomass will account for #gj percent of new power generation capacity between #bjab and #bjcj1 and1 by #bjcj1 renewable energy will account for half of the generation capacity worldwide1 up from #bh percent in #bjab1 requiring additional investment in supporting infrastructure1 including long distance transmission systems1 smart grids1 storage1 and demand response4 7#ai7 ,the ,energy ,information ,administration states that since #bjje renewable energy has garnered more than #a4c trillion worth of investment and the ,energy ,information ,administration estimates that global energy consumption will increase by #dg percent between #bjaj and #bjce1 with clean energy providing more than half of that new capacity and attracting up to #e4i trillion worth of investment1 leading to new employment and investment opportunities4 #c4 ,comprehensive program for energy-related jobs for the #bast century 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,energy 7in this ,act referred to as the ,secretary7 shall establish and carry out a comprehensive program to improve education and training for energy-related jobs in order to increase the number of skilled minorities and women trained to work in energy-related jobs1 including by-- 7#a7 encouraging minority and women students to enter into the energy science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics 7in this ,act referred to as ,,stem7 fields2 7#b7 ensuring that the ,nation's education system is equipping students with the skills1 training1 and technical expertise necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital to managing and operating the ,nation's energy industry2 and 7#c7 providing students and other candidates with the necessary skills and certifications for skilled1 semiskilled1 and highly skilled energy-related jobs4 7b7 ,priority ,the ,secretary shall make educating and training minorities and other workers for energy-related jobs a national priority under the program established under subsection 7a74 7c7 ,direct assistance ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall provide direct assistance 7including grants1 technical expertise1 mentorships1 and partnerships7 to community colleges1 workforce development organizations1 and minority-serving institutions4 7d7 ,clearinghouse ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall establish a clearinghouse to-- 7#a7 maintain and update information and resources on training and workforce development programs for energy-related jobs2 and 7#b7 act as a resource1 and provide guidance1 for schools1 community colleges1 universities1 workforce development programs1 and industry organizations that would like to develop and implement energy-related training programs4 7e7 ,collaboration ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 shall collaborate with schools1 community colleges1 universities1 workforce training organizations1 national laboratories1 unions1 ,state energy offices1 and the energy industry2 7#b7 shall encourage and foster collaboration1 mentorships1 and partnerships among organizations 7including unions1 industry1 schools1 community colleges1 workforce development organizations1 and universities7 that currently provide effective job training programs in the energy field and institutions 7including schools1 community colleges1 workforce development programs1 and universities7 that seek to establish these types of programs in order to share best practices and approaches that best suit local1 ,state1 and national needs2 and 7#c7 shall collaborate with the ,energy ,information ,administration and the ,bureau of the ,census to develop a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the energy workforce needs and opportunities by ,state and by region4 7f7 ,guidelines for educational institutions 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary1 in collaboration with the ,secretary of ,education and the ,secretary of ,labor1 shall develop guidelines for educational institutions of all levels1 including for elementary and secondary schools and community colleges and for undergraduate1 graduate1 and postgraduate university programs1 to help provide graduates with the skills necessary to work in energy-related jobs4 7#b7 ,input ,the ,secretary shall solicit input from the oil1 gas1 coal1 renewable1 nuclear1 utility1 and pipeline industries in developing guidelines under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,energy efficiency and conservation initiatives ,the guidelines developed under paragraph 7#a7 shall include grade-specific guidelines for teaching energy efficiency and conservation initiatives to educate students and families4 7#d7 ,,stem education ,the guidelines developed under paragraph 7#a7 shall promote ,,stem education as it relates to job opportunities in energy-related fields of study in schools1 community colleges1 and universities nationally4 7g7 ,outreach to ,m,s,is ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 give special consideration to increasing outreach to minority serving institutions 7including historically black colleges and universities1 predominantly black institutions1 ,hispanic serving institutions1 and tribal institutions72 7#b7 make resources available to minority serving institutions with the objective of increasing the number of skilled minorities and women trained to go into the energy sector2 and 7#c7 encourage industry to improve the opportunities for students of minority serving institutions to participate in industry internships and cooperative work_/study programs4 7h7 ,guidelines ,to develop skills for an energy industry workforce ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall collaborate with representatives from the energy industry 7including the oil1 gas1 coal1 nuclear1 utility1 pipeline1 renewable1 and nuclear sectors7 to identify the areas of highest need in each sector and to develop guidelines for the skills necessary to develop a workforce trained to go into the following sectors of the energy industry3 7#a7 ,energy efficiency industry1 including work in energy efficiency1 conservation1 weatherization1 or retrofitting1 or as inspectors or auditors4 7#b7 ,pipeline industry1 including work in pipeline construction and maintenance or work as engineers or technical advisors4 7#c7 ,utility industry1 including as utility workers1 linemen1 electricians1 pole workers1 or repairmen4 7#d7 ,alternative fuels1 including work in biofuel development and production4 7#e7 ,nuclear industry1 including work as scientists1 engineers1 technicians1 mathematicians1 or security personnel4 7#f7 ,oil and gas industry1 including work as scientists1 engineers1 technicians1 mathematicians1 petrochemical engineers1 or geologists4 7#g7 ,renewable industry1 including work in the development and production of renewable energy sources 7such as solar1 hydropower1 wind1 or geothermal energy74 7#h7 ,coal industry1 including work as coal miners1 engineers1 developers and manufacturers of state-of-the-art coal facilities1 technology vendors1 coal transportation workers and operators1 and mining equipment vendors4 7i7 ,enrollment in training and apprenticeship programs ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall work with organized labor and community-based workforce organizations to help identify students and other candidates1 including from historically underserved communities such as minorities1 women1 and veterans1 to enroll into training and apprenticeship programs for energy-related jobs4