Media teleconference on innovative $60 million climate jobs project scheduled for June 11
August 15, 2023: Workers from marine companies that focus on coastal resilience are installing oyster habitat, called oyster castles, made of oyster shells and concete in a channel of Whittaker Creek in Gloucester, Virginia, to support healthy oysters. (Image credit: Virginia Sea Grant)
On Tuesday, June 11, the White House, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will announce the selection of NOAA’s nine projects taking place across the nation that will train and place Americans in good-paying jobs to advance climate resilience in their communities. Following the announcement by press release, members of the media are invited to a teleconference on Tuesday at 1:45 PM ET to learn more about the projects.
The Climate-Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes and Territories initiative, funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, will accelerate the growth of new workforce initiatives to help make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change and strengthen coastal economies.
Each of the nine Climate-Ready Workforce programs will focus on training and job placement of underserved and economically disadvantaged communities, people of color and Indigenous people, many who face disproportionate risks and impacts from climate change.
Examples of potential jobs include water and wastewater specialists, electricians, hydrologists and construction workers trained to address climate impacts in their fields.
The projects will be based in Alaska, California, Massachusetts, American Samoa, Hawai’i, Louisiana, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Washington state. Jobs produced by these projects will include New Hampshire and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
WHAT
- Media teleconference for credentialed reporters
WHEN
- Tuesday, June 11; 1:45 p.m. ET
WHO
- Gina Raimondo, U.S. secretary of commerce
- Jainey K. Bavishi, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator.
- Jonathan Pennock, director of NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program
- Po Chi Fung, specialist, Climate-Ready Workforce, NOAA National Sea Grant Office
- Frank Niepold, program manager, Climate-Ready Workforce, NOAA Climate Program Office
HOW
- Credentialed reporters may dial in using the numbers below:
- 888-566-5792 U.S./Canada (toll-free)
- 517-308-9140 International (toll)
- Verbal passcode: WORKFORCE
- View slides at (https://seagrant.noaa.gov/our-story/news/for-the-media/), which will be available 30 minutes before the teleconference.
Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.
