The growth and development of the renewable energy and energy efficiency fields translates to an immense opportunity for new jobs in the energy industry. These "green jobs" not only can provide secure, well-paying jobs to millions of Americans, but they also help the nation transition from an economy reliant upon high polluting sources of energy to one that uses clean, abundant, domestic energy resources.

A report from the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory in Berkeley found that renewable energy creates more jobs per megawatt (MW) of power installed, per unit of energy produced, and per dollar of investment, than the fossil fuel energy sector. Workers will be needed in all skill-level positions not only in the renewable energy sector, but also to update the nation's electricity transmission capacity, install energy-efficient materials and appliances in existing buildings, and construct new high-performance green buildings.

In recognition of this need, Congress has begun to write legislation that will support this shift to jobs that provide clean and domestic supplies of energy. For example, Title X of the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140) contains the Green Jobs Act, which authorizes up $125 million per year in grants for an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program as an amendment to the Workforce Investment Act. Funding for this program is dependent on the annual Congressional appropriations process.

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