Get informed straight from the source on cspan, unfiltered, unbiased, word for word, from the nations capitol to wherever you are, because the opinion that matters most is your own. This is what democracy looks likes, powered by cable. Acting labor secretary julie su signed memorandums of understanding with interior secretary deb, and chief of staff dan utech at the Labor Department in washington d. C. Focused on creating union jobs and a Clean Energy Economy. And well hear from Community Stake holders on their experiences in advancing the goals. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [applause] good afternoon, everyone. I want to start the program with a warm welcome to the department of labor, to witness our partnership across the federal government with the signing of two separate memorandums of understanding between the department of labor and with the department of the interior and Environmental Protection agency. I am the Deputy Director here, and good jobs help support of collaboration between the agencies as we realize the vision of President Biden and through the leadership of our respective leaders. This work and today would not be possible if it were not for the countless people in each of our agencies who believe that we can act on Climate Solutions and create good and equitable union jobs for office. [applause] i want to give a special shout out to our colleagues at interior and epa. You know who you are in the audience for your partnership and trust as we Work Together. Today you will be hearing from our Agency Leaders on their vision for creating good jobs in the clean economy, as well as a Panel Discussion with leaders making our goals real on the ground. Now, its my pleasure to introduce our esteemed leader at the department of labor. Acting secretary julie su. Acting secretary su is a nationally recognized expert on workers rights and civil rights who has dedicated her legal career to advancing justice on behalf of poor and disenfranchised communities. She previously served as the deputy secretary and secretary of the California Labor and work force agency. Every day, acting secretary su challenges us at the department to think of the best ways to enleash the full power of the department of labor and act on it. She is a sincere thought partner and true collaborator and is the first to recognize that it will take our collective action to see this moment, making today that much more important to us. So with that, i welcome acting secretary su to the stage. [applause] thank you teresa. Thank you so much. I want to echo her welcome to all of you for being here, but also thank her for her incredible efforts and her leadership inside of the department, along with the rest of my team at dol, the department of interior and the Environmental Protection agency. What we are talking about today is a Historic Collaboration between our departments and how our work is going to impact workers, our climate and tomorrows work force. That would not be possible without the incredible work thats represented by the people in this room. So our department of labor building is named for Francis Perkins who was the first woman cabinet secretary for any president and by all accounts, the most consequential labor secretary in history. Thats why im particularly excited to welcome secretary deb holland to our building today. The secretary of the interior who is also, shes the first native american to serve in any cabinet under any president. Yes, you can give that a hand. [applause]. She is a Laguna Pueblo citizen and the first woman to lead a state party in her home state of new mexico and one of the first native american women to serve in congress. So shes the living embodiment of something ive seen throughout my career and my life and experienced in everywhere i go, which is that exercisety and excellence go hand in hand, so, thank you very much secretary for being here. And that idea, the diversity acts go hand in hand is fundamental for President Bidens vision for what a strong and resilient economy looks like. He talks about and challenges us all to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up. And in order to do that, we have to be very cleareyed about who has for too long been at the bottom. Who are the communities . Who are the individuals . Who are the families where workers do not enjoy a just days pay for a hard days work. Where a worker gets up in the morning and isnt sure that he or she is going to come home safely at the end of the day. Where whole communities have been shut out of opportunities in the past and today and shut out of the opportunities to get good jobs due to discrimination, occupational segregation or marginalization. Its also not an accident that those same communities who suffer from poor jobs also suffer the worst effects of our Climate Crisis. So, were here today to talk about how we can address those harms together because we cannot build the economy that President Biden envisions unless we fix those things. So, we have a moment, we have a moment that were in now with historic investments in our nations infrastructure, in our nations manufacturing, in our nations clean energy and by the president s vision in our nations workers. So investing in america agenda, the president and the cabinet have been out across the country talking about what investing in america means and were here to do that right here at the Frances Perkins building at the department of labor because were trying to deliver on a once in a generation moment all of these at the same time including the good jobs and need to combat the Climate Crisis. Weve Regional Economic development and innovative Work Development and opportunities to answer the question, are we going to have the workers for all the jobs created. And the key to all of this, as the president and everyone across the cabinet does, too, the right to formally join a union is what it means to have a good job, Strong Community and a good life. [applause] so the work thats going to come out of the partnership that were talking about here today are part of the proof that we do not have to choose between workers and our climate. We dont have to choose between good jobs and the environment. So weve seen this in some of the progress made in bidenomics. And theres work to do and that will allow to have our roles together and get that work done. Were going to do it with great intentionality to make sure that the workers and communities left out in the past are not left out in the economy that we build going forward. The partnership has allowed us to will allow us to continue to embed job quality and equity criteria in the trillions of dollars in federal funding thats going out into communities. The mous that were going to find today are going to allow us to focus on expertise, not just the leadership, but our entire departments that make sure that were taking the correct action to lever the ability to move action on the ground to what needs to be done with federal dollars and also to listen to and build on expertise of communities doing place based work in communities on building equitable strong economies and Work Force Program so im excited about the program with secretary holland and the epa and with all of you here. We know that the successful work force in the community doing work to understand what the challenges and abilities and talents left out in the communities are. So, with that, i am going to actually ask our panelists to come up because were going to talk about some examples of people who are doing this work on the ground the right way, in a way that really reflects the president s vision how to build a strong economy. While they come up, im going to tell you who they are. Thank you so much for being here. We are joined today by frank howard iii. [applause] lee, and wayne. [applause] go ahead and have a seat. Frank has been treasurer of howard concrete pumping company, inc. , a family founded by his father since 2006. Hes been a fixture in the howard offices for his entire life. Howard concrete pumping, inc. Has been a specialty contractor, headquartered in pittsburgh, with the abandoned coal mines for ground sustenance, working with abandoned mines across the United States and including operating engineers, laborers and pile drivers, so, thank you for modeling, frank, what it means to build the economy that President Biden envisions. Lee is the Regional Program manager for the labor climate project in ohio and she is a member of the usw local 1046 in louisville, ohio and 24year maintenance employee with a bachelor which she completed while working fulltime in the shop. So [applause]. Doing the work and modeling and her parents were Steel Workers and her grandparents were also union members. And last but not least, commissioner president richardson, Wayne Richardson is a manager of streak partnerships for the labors Eastern Region as well as the executive director of pathways to apprenticeship in new jersey, a program that creates a pathway out of poverty by providing opportunities for training and union membership. So, thank you all for joining us. [applause]. Im going to start out and ask each of you to do a quick lightning round, 90 seconds of what you see as the opportunity now given your background in this space of both addressing our Climate Crisis and a crisis in this country. And ill start with you, if thats okay. Yeah, so, i think the important thing is that we have a time in history where we can come together and meet and theres a funding opportunity to do work na is very hard to do, that takes a lot of unique skill sets and expertise and that traditionally doesnt have the funding at the same time, we can invest in Work Force Development which is from a business perspective very difficult to do. And there is a long tale to doing that, thats to say that the investments in work force dont pay off right away. So it has to be an ongoing investment. So, i think the vision that we have here and the funding available is really a unique opportunity to get some of this work done and done well. Thanks. Well, first, thank you all for this opportunity, super excited youre doing this. And the blue Green Alliance, boots on the ground, gal. Blue Green Alliance is coalition of environmental and labor partners as you mentioned secretary su that we do not have to choose between good jobs and a clean environment. They go hand in hand. So weve been at this, bga has been at this for 17 years, for 10 in ohio, i started when i was 12. [laughter] and here is what i see from on the ground is education, trust building, internship r building, making sure the right people are at the table, and this opportunity that youre doing today will only broaden the folks that we can bring into the table and all speak from the same place. Wayne richardson, happy to be here, thanks for all of you for coming, thanks for putting this together. And one of the things that i see that we need to do, when we talk about this infrastructure dollars, and all of these things that are going to happen, theyre going to be so wonderful. Weve got to make sure that the people who, secretary su mention who have been marginalized get an opportunity and ive been a part of the good jobs in the past and one of the things that ive said and i hold to that right now, those who control the money make the rules. So youve got to make sure the rules are in place that will connect the jobs and all of the things that President Biden has attempted to could and hold these people accountable to folks who are going to receive the money. Its not just putting the money out there and we have to train the work force, which is one of the things that the laborers are doing now with our pathway to apprenticeship, to make sure that they have a real opportunity to get into the trades, get into the union, and thats one of the things that were doing thats going to be essential because we are going to need the work force. Theres going to be a lot of money, but we have to be ready and trained when that money hits the ground. So thank you. Wayne, thank you so much for that. Im going to ask you a question based on what you said about the need to to bring the pieces together. Can you say a little bit more about why its so important to bring climate, environmental folks together with labor as we implement the funding . Yes. So you know, it takes a long time to build trust between different organizations, right . And what this historic legislation has given us the opportunity to do on speed is to bring those folks together and explain to them that we have to Work Together and we have to trust one another, and i think, you know, throughout the country, this is going on, but i know for sure its going on in the state of ohio. Our abandoned mine land work with wells, we have the operators at the table. We have ohio valley river, environmental organizations at the table. Our utility skilled solar work, we have the developers, ibw at the table and talking to one another and singing from the same hymnal, its been amazing thing to see. Youre right, these apprenticeship programs and the folks left out, you know, we need to double down our efforts and bring them along as well. I love that. The way you put it, that when there are rules in place for how people are supposed to operate, we have a fair game and lee, im just going to follow up. Because your work on abandoned land mines, theres such an overlap between what the department of interiors funding opportunities create and the work youve been doing. And the partnership between the u. S. Department of labor and interior mean for you. How does it affect your work, when there are job and equity standards in funding at the front end . Can i call out a couple of people from dol and doi that have been instrumental in this . Winnie is in the front row, and from the department of labor, there she is back there. Can you stand up when she says your name . applause these gals, these gals have these gals have joined every other week call with 20, 25, 30 folks from respective states, mostly in appalachia, had the patients to explain this program, encourage us to bring folks along to this program. It has obviously not been codified until today, but it has been such a pleasure working with them and they have theyve made friends. Our labor in kentucky, lonnie, likes to call out winnie and say, now, winnie what do you think about this . And these folks are just salt of the earth folks that were going to bring these folks along. In august, in ohio, were having a round table, webinar discussion with significant tri contractors how to bid this work. I mean, this is historic. Theyve never they dont know this program. Theyre never been made aware of this program. And here we are going to tell them that this funding is going to come for at least the next 10 years. And its going to be your work. Its really something to be part of. Yeah, thank you, lee. So, what youre saying is when there are conditions at the beginning, increased opportunities for the work to be done the right way and to make sure that workers can do that work, come out of programs where and the right people are at the table, weve all heard this. If youre not at the table, youre on the menu. Weve got them at the table. Good, thank you so much. So, frank, on that point, i often say, too, that theres just, theres vast Common Ground between what is good for employers and what is good for workers. And you and the company in your family for generations, is a good example of that. You talk about the Business Case for Work Force Development. Can you tell us why your business sees the value in Union Partnership and the value in respecting your workers rights to join the union . Yeah, sure and i think its two very important elements. Clearly it is about providing quality Career Opportunities for individuals. I mean, the union work force, its good wages, its healthy benefits, its robust retirement. So its training opportunities. Its an opportunity to better yourself, its an opportunity to make a good life without necessarily having to need a college education. So, thats point one about the Union Tradesmen and the union work force. From a Business Owners perspective. I think its important to call out, especially in the construction realm and im generallylizing a little bit, but if youre looking at Union Tradesmen versus nonUnion Tradesmen, youre getting a more professional result by going with the Union Tradesmen. Were talking about safety, awareness of safety. More safety training. So thats good for everybody. Were talking about Quality Control and Quality Assurance so the projects are built faster and the an a better quality. And finally, its what were all talking about. Its about Work Force Development and really unions are set up to do that very well, where especially with contractor, that are smaller or medium sized, its difficult to do Work Force Development well because its a significant investment and like i said in the intro, theres a long tail associated with it, and thats really the Business Case for being a Union Contractor versus a nonUnion Contractor, you have all of those benefits. You can attract a good quality work force and im proud to say that were Union Contractors. I know my folks are out there working hard every day and im proud that theyre making a good living doing that. Frank, so youve just described something that we believe in very deeply, which is that when Labor Management, partnership coinvest in Work Force Development and the outcomes. I wonder, what would you say to other companies who are trying to solve this issue how am i going to have the workers to do the work that we have. In a moment of historic growth, where employers are going to see more work, more opportunity. Describe, and it may seem so obvious to you, but from a very going back to the real basics, could you just talk about how you came to the realization that, you know, working with your workers was the best way to both grow the work force, keep the work force and talk a little, also, about regular apprenticeships in that. Sure, theres a lot to unwind this. But i think what it really comes down to is collaboration with our signatory unions. Thats where the real benefits start to accrue. You know, Work Force Development, it takes time, its not difficult, aprenticeships are key. The unions in particular, id like to call out operators local in pittsburgh did a fabulous job. We have a working relationship. When i have a need i call them. I call the leadership and they know what im looking for and they understand my need, but they do a really fabulous job with the apprenticeship. Their apprenticeship facility is first class, its worldclass. It has classrooms, it has lots of hands on learning opportunities, it has a shop thats great. So its a great opportunity for training. Its a great opportunity for Career Advancement and we in the construction industry. We have a particular challenge in that we have failed to attract the younger generations into our work force. So as we look forward to one of the challenges that, you know, we have in all of this investment into a clean economy is that we need to get young people interested and unions are really a great way of doing that. They have the economies of scale that allow them to do Work Force Development in an effective way. So, you know, i think that when im talking to other contractors who maybe dont see the benefit of union, i would have them seriously take a look is that for sure. But at the end of the day, the challenges that every company faces, it has to be met with planning and it has to be met with collaboration with your partners. Yeah, thank you for that. But i think that wayne, you wanted to Say Something about this . No, i wanted to echo what was said by my colleagues here. Its about having the right people at the table, but having an inviting table. So that you can were talking about building coalitions here, Coalition Building is exactly what were talking about and youve got to invite everyone and let everyone who wants to participate who has had a shared goal, sit at the table and have a discussion to figure out how were best going to move things forward collectively. Because you cant do it as an individual labor union or an individual company, you have to invite others to make an inbound inviting. So folks who dont have a relationship with labor unions can talk to Company Owners who do and they could understand, you can let them know what the benefits are and there are a lot of benefits to asking union labor on your projects. And if everybody why doesnt somebody raise their hand if youve been an apprentice after any of the trades. Are they amazing . Yeah, and they want you to come. So if you didnt raise your hand and wanted to see Something Like that, please, put it on your next tour of stops. Its amazing. Its really good stuff. One last thing. When we talk about union labor and union careers, were not just talking about a job. Were talking about a long career with benefits, health care, pensions, and if you dont know what a pension is, and probably a lot of the young folks probably dont, you know about a 401 k . But ill put my pension up against your 401 k anytime. So to summarize a little bit of this, so much of Work Force Development is about planning, as you said. And on the day that you need to the workers to start is too late to think about where theyre going to come from, right . So the planning, the table for planning is so important and when you have a Labor Management relationship, and theres someone to plan with, not just for the future jobs that you need, but for the future of the industry that youre in, in really valuable ways. And it also means that Work Force Development programs that are demand driven mean there is a specific job to be done, that the training will lead to. I think thats a very different way of thinking about Work Force Development, right . For a very long time Work Force Development was just about training for skills that maybe would lead to a job and now, you know, people wonder why dont people come to those programs . Because its a very Different Things to do a Training Program in which theres an employer at the table, also, who knows what they need and are going to hire you at the end of that program. And apprenticeships are a very good example of that, also. Thank you all for sharing just like how we think about the most effective ways of answering this question. Are there going to be enough workers to do this job and having the right people at the table. And wayne, im going to let you brag a little bit and we know what you have done when you were president of local 55. You worked with the city of newark, new jersey, to overcome a lead crisis and under your leadership there, union local 55 supported the city as it replaced 100 of the lead service lines. It was over 23,000 of them. [applause] yes. And im going to brag on you first a little bit before you brag on yourself. And you made sure those were done by good union workers, that those were union jobs and they were accessible to women, to people of color, to black, indigenous, other communities left out and underserved workers in the community so thats sort of the trifecta of things that we think of the key to bidenomics. How do we meet infrastructure needs by investigating and making sure theyre effective and supported women and efforts, and the biden infrastructure law provided epa with 15 billion to invest in the water sector to secure safe and clean water for communities across america. We want everyone who turns on the faucet at their homes to have clean water coming out of it. Please talk about how communities can leverage enforcing equity, Good Union Jobs in the water sector as you did. Build a coalition. Bring the municipality. Bring the union. Bring environmentalists, bring everyone from the community. Have a conversation at the table. You have to be inclusive, right, but the mayors and the folks in these municipalities have to have the willingness to want to work with unions, right . What we were able to do in newark, because the mayor, he came from a union, Teachers Union so he understands the value of being a union member. So through my relationships with the community, with the administration, with affirmative action, with the first hiring rules in the city of newark, and 472, having the highways, laboring 472, who actually did the work, we were able to come to an agreement where they brought in apprentices from the laborers, who are still working today. Theyre still members of 472, even though the work is finished. Right . So they have good careers. So were table to build that coalition and that ground swell around how to do this the right way. And they talk about people being marginalized so the mayor was insistent. He said youre going to hire a certain amount of minority contractors period. Youre going to hire a certain amount of minorities from the city of newark, period else you general contractors are going to take the work away from you. So, there was no if, ands or buts, this is what youre going to do. When i talk about language, those who control the money make the rules. The rules cant be that good faith effort that we know doesnt work, right . It has to be a dictatorship. You have to say this is what this is what we want to see, right, and this is the number that youre going to meet or else youre not going to be on the job period. Because thats the only way that the folks who you want to attract. Who you want to give an opportunity to will get an opportunity. Because we dont do that, the big boys are just going to split it up like they normally do. Thank you. Wayne, im going to ask you a question and ask everyone else to weigh in on this, too. I do think its hard to dispel misconceptions about what it means to work with unions oftentimes and that includes, you know, like if theres a project Labor Agreement on a project, right, weve talked about some of the benefits of that. Could you talk to companies who are unfamiliar with tools, like the things that youve mentioned . We know and frank has mentioned this, too, that it actually cut costs, it cuts costs overall to do things the right way from the front end, and it cuts costs to invest in and create real partnerships with your workers, it results in a welltrained work force thats not only going to be able to do the job, theres going to be retained for the next, for the next job. Can you just talk about how communities can use plas on projects in the water sector and more broadly, how to dispel the notion that bringing a union in creates more costs or more complication . Can you just address that for us headon . Sure, so, one of the misgnomers is that initially it may cost you more, right . A union worker versus a nonunion worker. What do you get in that union worker . You get a skilled, trained, safe worker who is going to be more effective and more efficient, so, while you may be paying x amount for the nonunion worker for work force and youre paying a little more for your union work force, nine times out of 10, the union work force is going to finish that job more effectively and efficiently on time and under budget so youre going to save money in the long run and thats what people dont understand and dont weigh. They just see the initial investment and what its going to cost, but you have to weigh everything. And unions finish 5, 20 cost less in the long run at the end of the projects than nonunion outfits. So, project Labor Agreements, what we have to do a better job, will et let me just say this. Unions have to do a better job of giving certain people an opportunity. We have to do a better job of opening our doors and opening our books to the Minority Community and im not going to name any names, but they know who they are. And they just need to do a better job of giving folks an opportunity. And ill leave that right there. Thank you. I would just weigh in, too, to piggyback off of wayne is that these folks are in your community, right . They buy the pizza at the local pizza shop and they have their hair done at the local salon. They coach their sons in little league. Many times youll find with the nonunion work force, theyre either airlifted in or, you know, outside of that realm. And so, these folks that when you bring a pla into the picture, most times, those folks are from that community. And giving back to that community in so many ways that go unnoticed and unrecognized. Frank . The only thing i think he can add, ill echo the statements of my fellow panelists, but you know, my experience with plas is usually on very large construction projects. So these are complex projects. Thousands of craft workers on site at one time, multiple contractors, very usually difficult schedules and tough projects and having that pla in place not only assures all the things that weve talked about, a level Playing Field or all contractors. Good jobs, good students, good careers, but it also provides the rules that we can all get the job done safely on time and done well, because construction, its a difficult its a difficult job. Its often combative. Theres problems that inevitably come up. Theres disputes and having that framework in place gives you a way to solve those problems and solve those disputes before they get out of hand. Thank you so much. Frank, lee, wayne, thank you for all of the sharing your experiences. Also, making the Business Case, the worker case, the Community Case for how we can do this right. I want to a quick question to have you all bring it home for us. Can you tell us, what makes you hopeful in this moment for all the things youve been working toward . What makes you hopeful theres work to be done no question. We think about that every day at the department of labor and i know youre thinking about that, too. Can you in 10 seconds. Opportunities like this. What youre doing here today, and im not sucking up in any way. [laughter] this is historic, right . And to be able to sit here and represent so many of the folks that are out there in the field doing this hard work and knowing that its going to make a difference in their lives. Thats what makes me hopeful. Wayne . Sure, President Biden. Oh. [applause] giving folks an opportunity to may have never had an opportunity, the most Union Friendly president in my lifetime and the things that hes putting in place. And i like bidenomics, because it works for me and it works for people who look like me and its going to people who look like me are going to do better under this president than any president that i can remember. So President Biden, thank you for creating pathways out of poverty. [applause] so i would just say shared interests. We have disparate groups here coming together and realizing that we have common goals. Thank you. [applause] lets just give our panelists another round of applause. [cheers and applause] thank you, thank you, thank you. All right. Wonderful. So now the moment that were all gathered for. We are going to sign the mous between the department of labor and our sister agencies and im going to first ask dan utech to come up. Dan is the chief of staff at the Environmental Protection agency and dan, come on up. When i first was nominated to be u. S. Labor secretary i sat down with administrator michael wagan, and hes all in on the president s ability and ability to collaborate together and im glad, dan, that youre able to be here today and be a part of relationship weve been in a while together. And i want to turn over the podium to you beforehand. [applause]. Well, good afternoon, everybody. Its great to be here with colleagues from the administration and partners in labor and environmental movement. Im proud to represent epa and the administrator hear at this event and to share the stage with julie su, shes a dynamic, incredible leader. [applause]. And secretary haaland, its an honor to be here with you as well. [applause] the administrator wanted to be here, hes in baltimore with the vicepresident where green house funds, and a good jobs could not be more timely for us at epa. Good jobs and a clean economy. Thats what we think of every day at epa and across the administration and important for us and more importantly, its important to workers around the country. When i think about a good job, i think about a worker who isnt anxious living paycheck to paycheck, they have a stable source of income. I think the worker feels a sense of security because they have Health Care Coverage and paid sick leave and work sites that are safe and free from harassment and discrimination, and i think about workers empowered and have the right to organize. So, thats really what were talking about. Were talking about making sure our federal investments, these investments that reward for hard work. At President Biden said growing from the bottom up and middle out. And epa has always been a great place to work, but never a better time to be at epa than right now. Thanks to President Biden epa is equipped with more than 100 million to invest in america, its just, its unbelievable. With that funding, tackle Climate Change and create jobs around our country. Were moving as quickly as we can to get this funding into the American Communities and already seeing results. Just last week administrative reagan visited homes in grand rapids, michigan, where lead pipes are being replaced. Wayne, something you know something about. Hes visited Super Fund Sites cleanup is underway after years of delay and been to communities where electric buses are already taking kids to and from schools. Projects like these are happening around the country and its all made possible by the president s investing in america agenda. So as we implement these programs and as we continue to clean our economy we have to focus on workers who carry out the transition. We can and we will have good paying union jobs and expand opportunities for workers who too often have been left behind. At epa were pushing ourselves to think creativity and ambitiously about this work, creating high quality jobs for diverse and skilled American Work force. And including the team behind the good jobs initiative. Thank you to them. I also want to recognize Rachel Zuckerman and in the epa in particular and thank them for their work. So, we are were hard at work to realize the vision and ill tick off a couple of examples. When epas office of water with state funds last year, urged states for the Community Benefit agreements and invest in registered apprenticeship. Two weeks ago, they announced the 7 billion solar for all grant competition and that competition emphasizes Work Force Development and high quality jobs, including asking applicants to include letters. And ira Pollution Program that runs through states, 46 states that opted in are now going to be doing planning work with grants from epa. Grants from e. P. A. , that competition requires them to do a work force analysis as part of their Climate Action plans. This requirement will encourage states to think proactively and wholistcally about impacts to their work force and how partnerships with labor, Community Based organizations and educational institutions can help create high quality jobs. With our 5 billion clean there are 5 billionbu school s program residency have the prayer their workforces for the transition to clean buses without replacing or displacing the current workers. We are continued tog explore mechanisms for strong labor practices at the manufactures building the buses, and with the expertise of partners at Department Labor our current grant competition includedud questionnaire for School Bus Manufacturers about their development and job quality practices and this information will help School Districts find schoolbus suppliersos whose vals match their own. Weve updated master grant terms and conditions to make clear you cannot use epa funds to oppose union organizing, period. [applause] we made some progress, we want to go even further and for epa the signing of this this ie beginning of our efforts and commitment to do even more to ensure the transition to cleaner economy is a Just Transition with a strong focus on good jobs we cant do it alone and so we really, really appreciate the support of department of labor and everybody in this room. On behalf of administrator regan, were proud to sign this today. Thank you very much. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [applause] all right. And now i want to invite the amazing, the historic, the impactful secretary deb haaland of the department of entry to up and talk about all the great work she was doing. [applause] hello, everyone. I am so proud to be here, proud to be partake in this amazing event. And its an honor to join all of you. Thank you so much, acting secretary su, my friend and colleague, for hosting us. Thank you to lee, wayne, and frank for sharing youror storie, because stories of what move us forward. And so happy to meet you as well, dan. Thank you all so much. Its important to hear stories because these are stories of how family sustaining job creation canob combat environmental injustice and advanced a Clean Energy Economy, and so thank you again. Sincerr day one of the Bidenharris Administration the department of the interior has led the way in creating goodpaying jobs in the Clean Energy Economy that song many of us are working to provide for our country and its future. With funding from the president s investing in america agenda, we are putting Historic Resources intoug the workforce throughout our nation to support conservation, legacy pollution cleanup, Outdoor Recreation and a collective effort to address Climate Crisis. Im thrilled that our new memo, memorandum of understanding with the department of laboren will support cooperative efforts that help us draw on the strength and creativity of every worker in america. As our administration implements historic funding opportunities, we are putting workers first in making clear that when we invest in our people and strength in working families we see Economic Growth that benefits all americans in all of america. Key to this effort is historic 16 16 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to tackle legacy pollution. This is particularly critical to lift up communities that have historically borne the brunt of environmental injustices. My community and the Laguna Pueblo, and the pueblo lagoon is one of these communities. There were still being with the aftereffects of a mind that left behind damage that ruined the health of so many people. Its rewarding to travel the country to see cleanup get underway in communities that have been left behind. Its especially rewarding to know that these local communities have a direct say in how this work gets accomplished. On a recent trip to pittsburgh, a Small Business owner told me that hes been able to nearly double the wages of his workers and expects to hire even more amountes because of the of work generated by these funds. And were just getting started. As we make new funding available we are encouraging states to use project Labor Agreements and a Union Workforce to keep trained workers and Economic Opportunity at the center. Our Clean Energy Goals also present enormous opportunities for new family sustaining jobs, through innovative lease stipulations and bidding credits we are launching a robust, resilient, domestic offshore wind supplyom s chain, and the s that come with it. We are already seeing success with our administrations commercial offshore wind projects which are being built with union labor. Just last week the Departments Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved ocean wind one, our third offshore wind project which is expected to create more than 3000 goodpaying jobs. We are excited about this new m. O. U. That will help but workers and communities at the center of our clean energy transition. Thank you all so much again for joining us today. Thank you for sticking with us, and thank you for everything you do for our communities now and in the future. Thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [applause] [applause] [applause] thank you all so much for being here. These things dont happen by accident. Thank you all for sharing this with us. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] the u. S. Senate returns from its summer recess later today at 3 p. M. Eastern. Senators will vote at 5 30 p. M. Eastern to advance the nomination of Federal Reserve board member Philip Jefferson to be vice chair. Later in a week lawmakers are expected to continue work on more of President Bidens nominations for the Federal Reserve as well as for the sdc and the National Labor relations board. Live coverage of u. S. Senate on cspan2 and you can watch all our congressional coverage with our free video at cspan or online at cspan. Org. If you ever miss any of cspans coverage you can find it any time online at cspan. Org. Reviews of key hearings, debates and other events feature markers that gadget interesting and newsworthy highlights. These points of interest markers appear on the right inside of your screen when you hit play on select videos. This timeline told makes it easy to quickly get an idea of what was debated and decided in washington. Scroll through and spend a few minutes on cspans points of interest. Cspan is unfiltered view of government. We are funded by the Television Companies and more including midco