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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Illinois Community College Sustainability
3 Network (ICCSN), an existing structure partnering with the
4 Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, is an
5 innovative and immediate avenue to create green-collar jobs;
6 and
 
7     WHEREAS, The ICCSN is a tested and trusted resource and
8 provides the most efficient means to rapidly address the new
9 energy economy's need for a green-jobs workforce and for the
10 widespread deployment of energy conservation to the community
11 level; and
 
12     WHEREAS, With appropriate funding, the current ICCSN is
13 well positioned to expand to serve all 48 public community
14 colleges in this State, and the whole system is committed to
15 preparing a green-collar workforce with both the academic and
16 technical skills needed to stimulate growth in the new energy
17 economy; and
 
18     WHEREAS, This State's public community colleges have
19 planned construction projects to convert campus energy systems
20 to more efficient and clean energy sources; it is estimated
21 that 50,000 direct and indirect green-collar jobs could be
22 created by installing geothermal, wind, and solar technologies

 

 

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1 on community college campuses across this State; and
 
2     WHEREAS, The ICCSN has requested a total of $648,600,000
3 through the federal government's economic recovery initiative
4 in order to do the following:
5         (1) rapidly accelerate training and development of the
6     green-collar workforce by expanding the ICCSN; and
7         (2) stimulate the creation of green-collar jobs
8     through community college renewable energy and energy
9     conservation projects that are bid ready and that would
10     train green-collar workers while reducing the carbon usage
11     and energy cost of community college facilities; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Each project will serve multiple goals related to
13 developing the green-collar workforce; the projects will
14 create green-job skills, decrease campus energy consumption by
15 30% to 50%, provide hands-on experience for renewable energy
16 technician training, serve as demonstration sites for
17 business, industry, and homeowners, and be shovel-ready
18 immediately or within 180 days; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Accountability for outcomes will occur through
20 independent measuring and verification for carbon reduction
21 strategies; therefore, be it
 
22     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
2 urge the U.S. Congress to fund the Illinois Community College
3 Sustainability Network's request for $648,600,000 from the
4 federal government for the training and development of a
5 green-collar workforce and the creation of green-collar jobs
6 through community college renewable energy and energy
7 conservation projects; and be it further
 
8     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
9 delivered to the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the
10 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member
11 of the Illinois congressional delegation.