[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4526 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4526

    To require the Secretary of Energy to establish and carry out a 
  comprehensive program to improve education and training for energy-
                             related jobs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2014

    Mr. Rush (for himself, Mr. Whitfield, and Mr. Johnson of Ohio) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of Energy to establish and carry out a 
  comprehensive program to improve education and training for energy-
                             related jobs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century Energy Workforce 
Development Jobs Initiative Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) There are, currently and for well into the future, 
        significant opportunities for African-Americans and Hispanic-
        Americans throughout the energy industry at each level of 
        education and training, but raising the educational achievement 
        for large segments of the upcoming generation is resource 
        intensive and will take decades to achieve, although the payoff 
        of an increased skilled labor pool would be enormous to society 
        in general and United States industry in particular.
            (2) African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans represent an 
        important talent pool to help meet the demands of the projected 
        growth in the energy industry, and workforce training and 
        education in business, finance, science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics will prove vital in achieving this 
        growth, as noted by the American Petroleum Institute.
            (3) Improving minority preparation in science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics related disciplines at the primary 
        and secondary school levels is crucial to increasing the share 
        of minority science-based degree attainment in 4-year and 2-
        year programs of higher education, as well as for increasing 
        attainment of vocational certificates.
            (4) The rates at which African-Americans and Hispanic-
        Americans attain employment in the energy industry is in part 
        related to the choice of the field of study for college degrees 
        (4-year or 2-year) and vocational certificates.
            (5) Data from the National Center for Education Statistics 
        suggest that, over the 2001 through 2010 period, African-
        American and Hispanic-American students chose and completed 4-
        year college degrees applicable to employment in the oil and 
        natural gas industry at rates one-fifth and one-half, 
        respectively, the rates of the total student population.
            (6) With respect to 2-year associate degrees and 
        certificates, data from the National Center for Education 
        Statistics suggest that over the same time period, African-
        American and Hispanic-American students chose and completed 
        programs of study/training applicable to employment in the oil 
        and natural gas industry at rates roughly one-tenth above and 
        one-third below, respectively, the rates of the total student 
        population.
            (7) The American Petroleum Institute projects 525,000 new 
        job opportunities in the oil and natural gas industry by 2020, 
        with 166,000, or 31 percent of such jobs, expected to be held 
        by African-American and Hispanic-American workers, and, with 
        forward looking policies, that number could increase to a 
        projected 811,000 new job opportunities, with more than 
        285,000, or 35 percent, of such jobs being filled by 
        minorities, by 2030.
            (8) The American Petroleum Institute projects that more 
        than 50 percent of all jobs created in the oil and natural gas 
        industry by 2020 would be high-paying skilled and semiskilled 
        blue collar jobs, with a significant range of opportunities at 
        the scientific/managerial level requiring a college degree.
            (9) The American Petroleum Institute projects that over 
        half of the future potential job growth in the oil and natural 
        gas industry, approximately 417,000 jobs, is expected in the 
        Gulf region, with the East region expected to contribute nearly 
        140,000 job opportunities, the Rockies region nearly 116,000 
        job opportunities, and the West, Alaska, and Central regions 
        expected to contribute approximately 138,000 job opportunities 
        combined.
            (10) The National Mining Association reports that the coal 
        mining industry supported a total of 805,680 jobs in 2011. That 
        includes 204,580 direct jobs, including mine workers (143,520), 
        support activities (7,280), and transportation (53,780).
            (11) Broad occupational categories of potential job 
        creation in the upstream oil and gas industry include--
                    (A) management, business, and financial jobs;
                    (B) professional and related jobs;
                    (C) service jobs;
                    (D) sales and related jobs;
                    (E) office and administrative support jobs;
                    (F) skilled blue collar jobs;
                    (G) semiskilled blue collar jobs; and
                    (H) unskilled blue collar jobs.
            (12) Potential job creation in the upstream oil and gas 
        industry by selected detailed occupational category include--
                    (A) derrick, rotary drill, and service unit 
                operators;
                    (B) oil and gas roustabouts;
                    (C) operating engineers and other construction 
                workers;
                    (D) equipment operators;
                    (E) construction laborers;
                    (F) first-line supervisors/managers of construction 
                and extraction workers;
                    (G) heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers;
                    (H) pump operators and wellhead pumpers;
                    (I) helpers and other extraction workers;
                    (J) petroleum engineers; and
                    (K) secretaries.
            (13) The National Petroleum Council estimates that over the 
        next decade 30,000 miles of new long-distance natural gas 
        pipelines will be needed to manage the new sources of shale 
        natural gas supply, while a 2007 Census Bureau's Survey of 
        Business Owners estimated that a very small percentage of 
        pipelines were owned by minority-owned and woman-owned firms 
        compared to the total owned by nonminority males.
            (14) In 2013, the Energy Information Administration 
        estimated that relatively low natural gas prices, maintained by 
        growing shale natural gas production, will spur increased use 
        of natural gas in the industrial and electric power sectors by 
        16 percent, from 6.8 trillion cubic feet per year in 2011 to 
        7.8 trillion cubic feet per year in 2025, while total 
        consumption of natural gas in the United States will continue 
        to grow in the electric power sector from 16 percent of 
        generation in 2000 to 30 percent in 2040, which will lead to a 
        significant number of new jobs in the natural gas sector.
            (15) The Energy Information Administration estimates 
        natural gas production in the United States will increase 
        annually, outpacing domestic consumption and making the United 
        States a net exporter of natural gas by 2019, while continued 
        low levels of liquefied natural gas imports, combined with 
        increased United States exports of domestically sourced 
        liquefied natural gas, position the United States as a net 
        exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2016, creating an 
        abundance of new jobs and investment opportunities.
            (16) The Energy Information Administration estimates that 
        coal-fired electricity generation will remain a dominant 
        resource in the Nation's total generation portfolio, 
        representing 34 percent of United States baseload electricity 
        in 2035.
            (17) In 2013, a report by the Bloomberg New Energy Finance 
        research team estimated that clean energy investment is most 
        likely to grow by 230 percent to a projected $630 billion 
        annually in 2030, driven by further improvements in the cost-
        competitiveness of wind and solar technologies and an increase 
        in the roll-out of non-intermittent clean energy sources 
        including hydropower, geothermal, and biomass, requiring 
        additional investment in science, technology, engineering, and 
        mathematics education.
            (18) A 2013 report by the Bloomberg New Energy Finance 
        research team estimated that renewable energy projects 
        including wind, solar, hydropower, and biomass will account for 
        70 percent of new power generation capacity between 2012 and 
        2030, and, by 2030, renewable energy will account for half of 
        the generation capacity worldwide, up from 28 percent in 2012, 
        requiring additional investment in supporting infrastructure, 
        including long distance transmission systems, smart grids, 
        storage, and demand response.
            (19) The Energy Information Administration states that 
        since 2005 renewable energy has garnered more than $1.3 
        trillion worth of investment and the Energy Information 
        Administration estimates that global energy consumption will 
        increase by 47 percent between 2010 and 2035, with clean energy 
        providing more than half of that new capacity and attracting up 
        to $5.9 trillion worth of investment, leading to new employment 
        and investment opportunities.

SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR ENERGY-RELATED JOBS FOR THE 21ST 
              CENTURY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this Act referred to 
as the ``Secretary'') shall establish and carry out a comprehensive 
program to improve education and training for energy-related jobs in 
order to increase the number of skilled minorities and women trained to 
work in energy-related jobs, including by--
            (1) encouraging minority and women students to enter into 
        the energy science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
        (in this Act referred to as ``STEM'') fields;
            (2) ensuring that the Nation's education system is 
        equipping students with the skills, training, and technical 
        expertise necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital 
        to managing and operating the Nation's energy industry; and
            (3) providing students and other candidates with the 
        necessary skills and certifications for skilled, semiskilled, 
        and highly skilled energy-related jobs.
    (b) Priority.--The Secretary shall make educating and training 
minorities and other workers for energy-related jobs a national 
priority under the program established under subsection (a).
    (c) Direct Assistance.--In carrying out the program established 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide direct assistance 
(including grants, technical expertise, mentorships, and partnerships) 
to community colleges, workforce development organizations, and 
minority-serving institutions.
    (d) Clearinghouse.--In carrying out the program established under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse to--
            (1) maintain and update information and resources on 
        training and workforce development programs for energy-related 
        jobs; and
            (2) act as a resource, and provide guidance, for schools, 
        community colleges, universities, workforce development 
        programs, and industry organizations that would like to develop 
        and implement energy-related training programs.
    (e) Collaboration.--In carrying out the program established under 
subsection (a), the Secretary--
            (1) shall collaborate with schools, community colleges, 
        universities, workforce training organizations, national 
        laboratories, unions, State energy offices, and the energy 
        industry;
            (2) shall encourage and foster collaboration, mentorships, 
        and partnerships among organizations (including unions, 
        industry, schools, community colleges, workforce development 
        organizations, and universities) that currently provide 
        effective job training programs in the energy field and 
        institutions (including schools, community colleges, workforce 
        development programs, and universities) that seek to establish 
        these types of programs in order to share best practices and 
        approaches that best suit local, State, and national needs; and
            (3) shall collaborate with the Energy Information 
        Administration and the Bureau of the Census to develop a 
        comprehensive and detailed understanding of the energy 
        workforce needs and opportunities by State and by region.
    (f) Guidelines for Educational Institutions.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the program established 
        under subsection (a), the Secretary, in collaboration with the 
        Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor, shall 
        develop guidelines for educational institutions of all levels, 
        including for elementary and secondary schools and community 
        colleges and for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate 
        university programs, to help provide graduates with the skills 
        necessary to work in energy-related jobs.
            (2) Input.--The Secretary shall solicit input from the oil, 
        gas, coal, renewable, nuclear, utility, and pipeline industries 
        in developing guidelines under paragraph (1).
            (3) Energy efficiency and conservation initiatives.--The 
        guidelines developed under paragraph (1) shall include grade-
        specific guidelines for teaching energy efficiency and 
        conservation initiatives to educate students and families.
            (4) STEM education.--The guidelines developed under 
        paragraph (1) shall promote STEM education as it relates to job 
        opportunities in energy-related fields of study in schools, 
        community colleges, and universities nationally.
    (g) Outreach to MSIs.--In carrying out the program established 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
            (1) give special consideration to increasing outreach to 
        minority serving institutions (including historically black 
        colleges and universities, predominantly black institutions, 
        Hispanic serving institutions, and tribal institutions);
            (2) make resources available to minority serving 
        institutions with the objective of increasing the number of 
        skilled minorities and women trained to go into the energy 
        sector; and
            (3) encourage industry to improve the opportunities for 
        students of minority serving institutions to participate in 
        industry internships and cooperative work/study programs.
    (h) Guidelines To Develop Skills for an Energy Industry 
Workforce.--In carrying out the program established under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall collaborate with representatives from the 
energy industry (including the oil, gas, coal, nuclear, utility, 
pipeline, renewable, and nuclear sectors) to identify the areas of 
highest need in each sector and to develop guidelines for the skills 
necessary to develop a workforce trained to go into the following 
sectors of the energy industry:
            (1) Energy efficiency industry, including work in energy 
        efficiency, conservation, weatherization, or retrofitting, or 
        as inspectors or auditors.
            (2) Pipeline industry, including work in pipeline 
        construction and maintenance or work as engineers or technical 
        advisors.
            (3) Utility industry, including as utility workers, 
        linemen, electricians, pole workers, or repairmen.
            (4) Alternative fuels, including work in biofuel 
        development and production.
            (5) Nuclear industry, including work as scientists, 
        engineers, technicians, mathematicians, or security personnel.
            (6) Oil and gas industry, including work as scientists, 
        engineers, technicians, mathematicians, petrochemical 
        engineers, or geologists.
            (7) Renewable industry, including work in the development 
        and production of renewable energy sources (such as solar, 
        hydropower, wind, or geothermal energy).
            (8) Coal industry, including work as coal miners, 
        engineers, developers and manufacturers of state-of-the-art 
        coal facilities, technology vendors, coal transportation 
        workers and operators, and mining equipment vendors.
    (i) Enrollment in Training and Apprenticeship Programs.--In 
carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall work with organized labor and community-based workforce 
organizations to help identify students and other candidates, including 
from historically underserved communities such as minorities, women, 
and veterans, to enroll into training and apprenticeship programs for 
energy-related jobs.
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