Sec. 12131. Clean Energy Economy Workforce Program
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In this section: The term coal-related facility includes a coal mine or coal-fueled electric generating facility. The term coal-related industrial facility includes a facility in the manufacturing and transportation supply chains of a coal-related facility. The term eligible entity means a National Laboratory, business, or labor organization that demonstrates success in placing graduates of pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship programs in jobs relevant to such programs and— is directly involved with zero-emission electricity technology, energy efficiency, or other activity that results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as determined by the Secretary; works on behalf of a business or labor organization that is directly involved with zero emission electricity technology, energy efficiency, or other activity that results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as determined by the Secretary; provides services related to— zero emission electricity technology deployment and maintenance and energy efficiency; grid modernization; or reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through the use of zero-emission energy technologies; has knowledge of technician workforce needs of a National Laboratory or covered facility of the National Nuclear security Administration and the associated security requirements of such laboratory or facility; demonstrates experience in implementing and operating apprenticeship programs or pre-apprenticeship programs that provide a direct pathway to an energy-related career; or demonstrates success in placing graduates of pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship programs in jobs relevant to such programs.
The term Energy Transition Worker means a worker, including workers employed by contractors or subcontractors, terminated, laid off from employment, or whose work hours have been reduced, on or after the date of enactment of this Act, from a coal-related facility, coal-related industrial facility or other energy related entity. The term National Laboratory means any of the following laboratories owned by the Department of Energy: Ames Laboratory. Argonne National Laboratory. Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Idaho National Laboratory. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Los Alamos National Laboratory. National Energy Technology Laboratory. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Sandia National Laboratories. Savannah River National Laboratory. Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
The term program means the program established under subsection (b). The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall establish a program to provide competitively awarded cost shared grants to eligible entities to pay for pre-apprenticeship training for individuals or on-the-job training of a new or existing employee— to work in zero emission electricity generation, energy efficiency, or grid modernization; to work otherwise on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; or to participate in a pre-apprenticeship program that provides a direct pathway to an energy-related career in construction through one or more apprenticeship programs.
An eligible entity desiring a grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary of Energy an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information a the Secretary of Energy may require. In providing grants under the program, the Secretary of Energy shall give priority to an eligible entity that— recruits employees— from the 1 or more communities that are served by the eligible entity; and that are minorities, women, veterans, individuals from Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, or energy transition workers; provides trainees with the opportunity to obtain real-world experience; or has fewer than 100 employees; and in the case of a pre-apprenticeship program, demonstrates— a multi-year record of successfully recruiting energy transition workers, minorities, women, and veterans for training and supporting such individuals to a successful completion of a pre-apprenticeship program; and a successful multi-year record of placing the majority of pre-apprenticeship program graduates into apprenticeship programs in the construction industry.
An eligible entity shall use a grant received under the program to— pay the Federal share of the cost of providing pre-apprenticeship training or on-the-job training for an individual, in accordance with subparagraph(B); or in the case of a pre-apprenticeship program— recruiting minorities, women, and veterans for training; supporting those individuals in the successful completion of the pre-apprenticeship program; and carrying out any other activity of the pre-apprenticeship program, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary.
The Federal share described in subparagraph (A)(i) shall not exceed— in the case of an eligible entity with 20 or fewer employees, 45 percent of the cost of on-the-job-training for an employee; in the case of an eligible entity with not fewer than 21 employees and not more than 99 employees, 37.5 percent of the cost of on-the-job-training for an employee; in the case of an eligible entity with not fewer than 100 employees, 20 percent of the cost of on-the-job-training for an employee; and in the case of an eligible entity that administers a pre-apprenticeship program, 75 percent of the cost of the pre-apprenticeship program.
The non-Federal share of the cost of providing on-the-job training for an employee under a grant received under the program shall be paid in cash or in kind by the employer of the employee receiving the training or by a nonprofit organization. The non-Federal share described in subparagraph
(A)may include the amount of wages paid by the employer to the employee during the time that the employee is receiving on-the-job training, as fairly evaluated by the Secretary of Labor. In providing grants under the program for training, recruitment, and support relating to construction, eligible entities shall only include pre-apprenticeship programs that have an articulation agreement with one or more apprenticeship programs. An eligible entity may not receive more than $1,000,000 per fiscal year in grant funds under the program. There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 to the Secretary of Energy to carry out the program for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2030.