Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today unveiled the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act. The bill would provide a minimum investment of $32 billion over a span of 10 years to assist workers who are impacted by the evolution of our national energy systems. This funding would provide wage replacement or supplementation, pension and health benefits, and make available education and training grants to workers whose employment is terminated from a coal mine, coal-fired power plant, coal transport, or oil refinery. Additionally, the bill would direct educational grants to the children of dislocated workers. In response to the unveiling, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“As our nation’s energy system transitions, it is absolutely vital that we do not leave workers and communities behind. These are the workers that have powered our nation for generations and we owe it to them to ensure that they have every opportunity to succeed in the clean economy. We thank Sens. Brown, Casey, Whitehouse, Smith, Bennet, Warren, Duckworth, and Baldwin for their leadership and look forward to working with them to see this bill through to the finish line.”