Friday, October 23, 2009
Exactly Right
Senator Downing gets it:
BOSTON – Today the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation streamlining the organizational structure of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (CETC). Included in An Act Relative to Clean Energy is an initiative sponsored by State Senator Benjamin B. Downing (D- Pittsfield) to make permanent the Pathways out of Poverty (Pathways) grant program within the Center.The idea of the next big thing is great, but I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important it is to build up our existing resources (i.e. people) at the same time. ¶ 11:57 AM
Last year Downing championed the effort to establish Pathways within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) as a part of the Green Jobs Act of 2008. Pathways grants are intended to support economic self-sufficiency in the clean energy industry for low and moderate-income individuals.
Under Downing’s lead, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to establish a grant program focused on training disadvantaged workers for green collar jobs. Today’s Senate action ensures Pathways will continue to operate by transferring administrative responsibility of the program to CETC and further mandating that it be a permanent program within the Center.
