1.This Act may be cited as the Metro
Economies Green Act
or MEGA
.
2.In this Act:
(1)The term green jobs means well-paying,
high-skill, career-track jobs that contribute directly to preserving or
enhancing environmental quality and promote energy efficiency and energy
technology deployment, including jobs involving—
(A)energy-efficient
construction;
(B)retrofitting public
and private buildings;
(C)installing solar
panels, wind turbines, and other low-carbon or carbon-neutral power
sources;
(D)constructing
transit lines;
(E)environmental
remediation activities;
(F)installation of low-carbon
infrastructure;
(G)landscaping;
and
(H)developing or
deploying—
(i)sustainable energy
technologies;
(ii)low-carbon
electricity technologies;
(iii)advanced
bio-fuels;
(iv)carbon dioxide
capture and storage systems;
(v)electric and
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; and
(vi)high-efficiency
consumer products.
(2)The term green industry means existing or
emerging industry sectors, small businesses, and micro-enterprise initiatives
that create or involve green jobs.
(3)The term high needs means, with respect to an
individual, an individual who is—
(A)unemployed, with a
high school degree or lesser educational attainment;
(B)working full-time,
but living in poverty, as determined by national poverty indicators; or
(C)marginally employed, as defined by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
(4)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
(5)Unit of general
local governmentThe term unit of general local
government has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302).
3.The Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)
(A)The U.S.
Conference of Mayors in its report U.S. Metro Economies: Engines of
America’s Growth
states that the metropolitan areas of the United
States generated 85.9 percent of jobs in the United States, 90.1 percent of
labor income, and 89.9 percent of gross domestic product in 2007. Since 2000,
United States metropolitan economies contributed 90.5 percent, or more than $4
trillion, of the growth in the national economy. In 2007, such communities
accounted for 92 percent of national economic growth. In sum, the gross
metropolitan product of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in 2007 ($4.72
trillion) exceeded the combined output of 36 States.
(B)Similarly, in its
report MetroNation: How U.S. Metropolitan Areas Fuel American
Prosperity
, the Brookings Institution states that the 100 largest
metropolitan economies gather significant shares of innovative activity (78
percent of patent activity in the United States), educated workers (75 percent
of graduate degree holders), and critical infrastructure (79 percent of air
cargo in the United States).
(C)The American
workforce is diversifying at a time when many minority and urban communities
continue to encounter barriers to gainful employment. Projections from the
Census Bureau show that non-Hispanic Whites will represent less than half of
the Nation’s prime working-age (25 to 64) population by 2050. Between 2008 and
2050, Blacks and Hispanics will grow from about 25 percent to nearly 40 percent
of the working-age population, and will account for more than 90 percent of
total growth in that age range. Individuals from minority communities are
largely concentrated in metropolitan areas. Furthermore, such communities
remain disproportionately affected by numerous challenges related to education,
employment, and incarceration.
(D)In its report
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st
Century American
the American Solar Energy Society estimates that, in
2006, more than 8 million Americans worked in green industries, generating $933
billion of revenue. By 2030, the Society further estimates that green
industries will account for more than 40 million American jobs, generating over
$4.5 trillion in annual revenue.
(E)As indicated in
Green-Collar Jobs in American Cities
, issued jointly by Green
for All and the Apollo Alliance, green industries promote employment
opportunities that are necessarily local. Therefore, jobs in emerging green
industries will offer sustainable employment opportunities to Americans for
decades to come.
(2)Challenges and
opportunities in the Nation’s Metro Communities
(A)According to the
report Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytic Report on High School
Graduation
, of the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center,
nearly 40 percent of the Nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas suffer high
school graduation rates below 50 percent. Metropolitan communities with
historical ties to traditional manufacturing industries are among those
demonstrating particularly discouraging high school graduation rates. The dual
challenges associated with contracting labor markets and fledgling academic
capacities have left these, and many other metropolitan communities, with
compounding barriers to job creation and economic development.
(B)According to the Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, nearly 650,000 people are released from Federal and
State incarceration into communities nationwide each year, about 1,600 a day,
with the majority of these individuals returning to the Nation’s metropolitan
communities.
(C)Transitional jobs
programs have been proven to help people with criminal records to successfully
return to the workplace and to the community, and therefore can reduce
recidivism. Such programs, along with traditional technical training programs
provide at-risk individuals in our Nation’s metropolitan communities with
concrete opportunities for long-term economic self-sufficiency.
4.
(a)The purpose of this section is to empower
communities to provide stable employment in green industries, so such
communities may become self-sufficient and gain long-term economic
stability.
(b)Metro Area Green
Zone Grant programThe
Secretary may establish a competitive program to make grants to units of
general local government to support and establish green job programs
that—
(1)target low-income,
difficult-to-employ, and formerly incarcerated persons residing in the area or
community served by such unit of general local government; and
(2)involve local
business, academia, trade associations, nonprofits, and other stakeholders in
energy-efficient economic development and green job training and
creation.
(c)Grants
may be made only to units of general local government that—
(1)have a population
in excess of 300,000; and
(2)submit to the
Secretary a multi-year implementation plan that provides assurances to the
Secretary that such unit of general local government will use such grant
amounts to carry out the activities under subsection (e).
(d)In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary may give priority to any applicant unit of general local government
that provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the Secretary, as
applicable, that such unit of general local government—
(1)has entered, or will enter into partnership
agreements with local nonprofit organizations, community and technical
colleges, organized labor organizations, and local economic development boards
to develop and implement a coordinated, systemic, and sustainable strategy to
promote economic development through efforts to increase green jobs and
technologies in low-income communities;
(2)has engaged and
consulted, or will engage and consult with relevant county and State agencies
to help develop and implement a strategy to promote economic development
through efforts to increase green jobs and technologies in low-income
communities;
(3)has the ability to
complement and contribute to national, regional, and State goals related to
green jobs and green industries;
(4)has a demonstrable
commitment to green economic and workforce development;
(5)has the ability to
coordinate with activities identified in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998
(29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) and other federally sponsored programs;
(6)has a plan to
engage local industry and small business in creating green jobs both locally
and regionally;
(7)is located within a 50 mile radius of a
Department of Energy National Energy Laboratory and technology centers or a
research-intensive institution of higher education engaged in energy research
or green job creation;
(8)has a local
unemployment rate at least 1.5 times greater than the national rate;
(9)has at least 20
percent of the local workforce employed in the lowest-paying economic
sectors;
(10)has not less than 35 percent of households
that have female head-of-households;
(11)has more than 20
parolees, probationers, or parolees and probationers per 1,000 residents;
(12)serves individuals in families that meet
the lower living standard income level, as defined by the Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration;
(13)has a local
population of which at least 8 percent are classified as high-need with regard
to employment opportunities; and
(14)meets any other
criteria the Secretary determines appropriate.
(e)A unit of general
local government receiving a grant under this section may use grant funds
to—
(1)create model
curricula, education, and training opportunities to provide low-income,
underserved, or otherwise displaced program participants with skills necessary
to acquire long-term green jobs;
(2)provide job
placement services, in partnership with local green industries;
(3)support program
partners, subdivisions of municipal government, small business, and nonprofits
for further coordination with national, State, and regional efforts, local
industry, local small business, and nationally sponsored activities in the
Metro Area Green Zone to support overall program enhancement and expand local
and regional green employment opportunities, including providing—
(A)stipends;
(B)tax
credits;
(C)financing
mechanisms; and
(D)technical and
other assistance;
(4)provide green job
creation incentives through support of local businesses and industry sectors to
create green jobs;
(5)provide services such as childcare, alcohol
and drug dependence treatment, and mental health services, as necessary, to
underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and formerly incarcerated
individuals to facilitate the use of the training and job placement services
provided by paragraphs (1) and (2);
(6)provide
underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and formerly incarcerated
individuals with green jobs and business opportunities; and
(7)carry out any other
activity the Secretary considers appropriate.
(f)Number and
amount of grants
(1)The
Secretary may make grants under this section to not more than 10 units of
general local government.
(2)Subject
to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall make a grant to each
unit of general local government selected of not more than $15,000,000 each
fiscal year for 5 years.
(g)Authorization of
appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated for grants
under this section $150,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through
2015.
5.Mini-Metro Green
Grant Program
(a)The purpose of this section is to ensure
the participation of smaller, developing municipalities that are ineligible by
population to receive grants under section 4 in activities such as the
activities authorized under such section.
(b)The Secretary may establish a competitive
program to make grants to units of general local government eligible under
subsection (c) to support and establish programs that engage smaller
communities in green economic and workforce development.
(c)Grants may be made only to units of general
local government that—
(1)have a population
of not less than 50,000 and not more than 125,000; and
(2)submit to the Secretary a multi-year
implementation plan that provides assurances to the Secretary that such unit of
general local government will use such grant amounts to carry out the
activities under subsection (e).
(d)In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary may give priority to any applicant unit of general local government
that provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the Secretary, as
applicable, that such unit of general local government—
(1)has a commitment
to promoting green jobs and green technologies;
(2)has a plan to
engage local industry and small business in creating green jobs both locally
and regionally;
(3)has a local
unemployment rate at least 25 percent greater than the national rate, or for
the 10-year period ending upon application for a grant under this section has a
local unemployment rate at least 10 percent greater than the national rate;
(4)serves individuals
in families that meet the lower living standard income level, as defined by the
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration;
(5)has
a population of which more than 20 percent are involved in gang activity;
(6)has a population
of which more than 0.5 percent are current parolees;
(7)has a high school
drop-out rate at least 10 percent greater than the national average;
(8)has at least one
local publicly funded workforce investment system;
(9)has been
identified pursuant to State or Federal law as an enterprise zone;
(10)has an existing
partnership with a local publicly funded workforce investment system;
(11)is a designated
Environmental Protection Agency Nonattainment area; and
(12)meets any other
criteria the Secretary determines appropriate.
(e)A unit of general local government receiving a grant
under this section may use grant funds to—
(1)participate in
programs and activities provided by the Metro Area Green Institute established
under section 6;
(2)provide job
placement services, in partnership with local green industries;
(3)provide higher level job skills, and higher
paying employment opportunities (including micro-enterprise business in
underserved communities) to low-income and formerly incarcerated individuals;
(4)provide incentives
for further coordination with local industry and small business to expand local
and regional green jobs;
(5)provide services such as childcare, alcohol
and drug dependence treatment, and mental health services, as necessary, to
underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and formerly incarcerated
individuals to facilitate the use of the training, job placement, and
employment services provided by paragraphs (3) and (4); and
(6)carry out any other
activity the Secretary considers appropriate.
(f)Number and Amount
of grants
(1)The
Secretary may make grants under this section to not more than 10 units of
general local government.
(2)Subject
to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall make a grant to each
unit of general local government selected of not more than $1,000,000 each
fiscal year for 5 years.
(g)Authorization of
appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated for grants
under this section $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2015.
6.Metro Area Green
Institute
(a)The
purpose of this section is to establish the Metro Area Green Institute to serve
as a national center for technical assistance, training, research, information
dissemination, and resource center to support municipally based, green economic
and workforce development efforts.
(b)The Secretary
shall select one unit of general local government or nonprofit organization
designated by a unit of general local government to establish and operate a
Metro Area Green Institute in accordance with this section and may make a grant
or enter into a contract under this section to provide assistance for such
Institute.
(c)The amount provided
for a grant or contract under this section shall not exceed $5,000,000 each
fiscal year for 5 years.
(d)The
Secretary may not make a grant or enter into a contract under this section to
an applicant unit of general local government or an applicant nonprofit
organization designated by a unit of general local government unless the
applicant provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the
Secretary, as applicable, that such unit or designated nonprofit
organization—
(1)is within a
20-mile radius of at least one Department of Energy National Energy Laboratory
and at least one research-intensive institution of higher education;
(2)has demonstrable
experience with green workforce development and job creation;
(3)has an existing
green jobs collaborative involving regional, local, county, State, and public
and private stakeholders that targets low-income underserved populations
residing in metropolitan areas;
(4)has entered into or is prepared to enter
into a partnership agreement with a Department of Energy National Energy
Laboratory and a research-intensive institution of higher education that are
within a 20-mile radius of such unit of general local government or the area
served by such nonprofit organization designated by a unit of general local
government; and
(5)is in a community
meeting the criteria under paragraphs (8) to (14) of section 4(d) of this
Act.
(e)To
carry out the purposes of this section, the Metro Area Green Institute
shall—
(1)evaluate the efficacy of programs funded
under sections 4, 5, and 7;
(2)sponsor workshops and conferences on green
jobs, technology transfer, business development, green economic development
strategies for metropolitan economies seeking to engage low-income under-served
and other displaced populations, and any other topics relevant to green
industries;
(3)compile for dissemination to green
workforce development and job creation programs nationally, and so disseminate,
information and data related to the programs under sections 4, 5, and 7, and
other related national, regional, and local activities related to green
workforce development and economic development, including best practice data
and green worker training techniques;
(4)monitor and
investigate green workforce development and job creation programs nationally
with a focus on initiatives targeting high-poverty communities and high-need
communities;
(5)assess the
efficacy of green economic and workforce development programs;
(6)create and maintain
a certification program to train workers in green jobs;
(7)encourage local and
municipal governments to engage in workforce development and job creation
activities in green industry;
(8)provide
capacity-building and related technical assistance to green workforce
development initiatives nationally, with emphasis on communities receiving
funding under sections 4 and 5 of this Act; and
(9)produce and make available to local
governments, nonprofits, academic institutions, and the Department of Housing
and Urban Development literature and media tools codifying best practice
techniques and supplemental metadata analysis.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated for the
grant or contract under this section $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2010 through 2015.
7.Alternative Green
Academies Program
(a)The
purpose of this section is to enable municipalities to partner with nonprofit
organizations, local education agencies, community and technical colleges,
trade associations, and local businesses to provide green job training,
employment opportunities, and other life skills to high school drop-outs,
formerly incarcerated youth, and individuals unable to attend traditional
institutions of higher education.
(b)Establishment of
grant programThe Secretary
may establish a competitive program to make grants to units of general local
government to support and establish programs that—
(1)provide green job
training, employment opportunities, and other life skills to high school
drop-outs, formerly incarcerated youth, and individuals unable to attend
traditional institutions of higher education; and
(2)involve
collaboration between local or municipal governments, community or technical
colleges, local businesses, trade associations and others.
(c)In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary may give priority to any applicant unit of general local government
that provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the Secretary, as
applicable, that such unit of general local government—
(1)has a plan to
engage at least one community or technical college in green job training;
(2)has a plan to
engage local industry, trade associations, and small business in creating green
jobs in underserved communities;
(3)has projected growth, over the next five
years, in net new jobs requiring at minimum a high school diploma;
(4)has an estimated
high school drop-out rate of greater than 35 percent based upon 2007
statistical data, or 10 percent greater than the national rate;
(5)has a local
unemployment rate at least 1.5 times greater than the national rate;
(6)has at least 20
percent of the local workforce employed in the lowest-paying economic sectors;
(7)has not less than
35 percent of households that have female head-of-households;
(8)has more than 20
parolees, probationers, or parolees and probationers per 1,000 residents;
(9)has a local population of which at least 8
percent are classified as high-need with regard to employment opportunities;
and
(10)meets any other
criteria the Secretary determines appropriate.
(d)A unit of general local government receiving a grant
under this section may use grant funds to collaborate with local community and
technical colleges and local businesses, trade associations, and other entities
to—
(1)establish an
inclusive education and training center or centers to serve as an alternative
academy for high school drop-outs, formerly incarcerated, and other
difficult-to-employ individuals;
(2)develop curricula
to provide program participants with skills necessary to achieve sustainable
employment in green industries;
(3)establish
mentorship programs with local green industries and small businesses to provide
program participants with access to on-the-job training;
(4)provide job
placement services, in partnership with local green industries and small
businesses;
(5)provide wage
stipends to program participants receiving green job training; and
(6)provide services such as childcare, alcohol
and drug dependence treatment, and mental health services, as necessary, to
underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and formerly incarcerated
individuals to facilitate the use of the training, job placement, and
employment provided by paragraphs (1) to (5).
(e)Number and
amount of grants
(1)The
Secretary may make grants under this section to not more than 10 units of
general local government.
(2)Subject
to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall make a grant to each
unit of general local government selected of $2,000,000 each fiscal year for 5
years.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated for grants
under this section $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through
2015.