Advocates are calling on New Hampshire’s congressional delegation to support job training for clean energy projects as part of COVID-19 economic recovery.
Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas joined state nonprofits for a roundtable on the issue Friday.
The lawmakers and their Senate colleagues have joined recent calls for renewable energy investment in upcoming stimulus bills.
Madeleine Mineau, head of the nonprofit Clean Energy New Hampshire, says that investment should focus not just on energy projects but on rebuilding the workforce in hard-hit sectors like energy efficiency.
"The contractors may not be able to regain the same employees that they had previously,” Mineau says. “So being able to get folks back to work quickly, getting those employees trained, will be really key.”
Other advocates say, with the right support, the region’s growing offshore wind industry could create new “transitional” jobs for laid-off workers.