Bill would help fossil fuel workers find alternative jobs

WASHINGTON (NEXTSAR) — A group of Senate Democrats is introducing a bill to help workers displaced by the shift to clean energy. The bill would help them find work in other areas by providing training opportunities and offer financial incentives.

“People are losing jobs, they’re losing jobs to clean energy,” said Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Brown is proposing the legislation to help fossil fuel workers find alternative work in the clean energy field.

“We want to make sure that people that lose jobs have real opportunity,” Brown said. “They can choose to get retrained. They can get dollar support.”

Brown’s bill also includes health care coverage and educational benefits for children of laid-off workers.

“This isn’t going to be just throwing them some money and saying, ‘Go away,’” Brown said.

The bill would also give financial incentives to clean energy companies that hire those workers.

Brown says his plan has support from United Mine Workers and other industry leaders.

West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito also supports the idea.

“That will have great impacts on West Virginia in a good way,” Capito said.

Capito says energy workers have the skill set to be successful in other areas.

“Could be translatable either to another (fuel such as) natural gas, but also into probably the field of renewables or aviation,” Capito said.

President Joe Biden says the country must fulfill its obligation to assist workers who helped power the industrial revolution that fueled the nation’s economic growth.