Opportunity Maine is going Green - and Creating Jobs, too!

Opportunity Maine is going Green!

Opportunity Maine and all our volunteers were so proud to bring from idea to citizen initiative to law the Opportunity Maine Program - a bold, first-in-the-nation, college affordability and economic development initiative.

We also need to create good jobs for those college graduates and those who go through other education and training programs.  That is why we are even more proud to launch our New Energy Jobs Initiative that will create thousands of good, green-skilled jobs, create new business opportunities, cut energy bills, and secure Maine's economic and energy future.

We have partnered with forward-looking legislators such as Representative Seth Berry to submit our New Energy Jobs legislation (LD 1724) that will:

• Develop a streamlined, economy-wide strategy to make Maine's homes, businesses and factories 30% more energy efficient and create thousands of good jobs.

• Re-channel a portion of the money we already spend on energy into efficiency and workforce investments here in Maine.

• Provide grants to:

• Homeowners and businesses to invest in efficiency.

• Individuals who want to gain the education and training they need for jobs in the new energy sector.

• Regional and community partnerships to develop green-skilled career ladders that will lift low-income and laid-off Mainers out of poverty and into family-sustaining jobs.

• Leverage hundreds of millions of dollars more in federal and private investment in our homes, businesses and workforce.

  
  

To advance this Initiative, we are partnering again with the Maine League of Young Voters in creating the New Energy Jobs Alliance. Our goal is to advance bold, comprehensive workforce and energy policies that create good jobs, lower energy bills, address climate change and build a more prosperous economy for this and future generations of Mainers.

You can bring yourself up to speed at a new section of our web site dedicated to the New Energy Jobs Initiative. 

Writing letters to the editors, contacting legislators, talking to your neighbors and coworkers, forwarding this email on to others, joining us at the statehouse - we need to do all these things and more to ensure state leaders know now is the time to be bold in addressing our economic and energy challenges!

Regards,

~Rob Brown, Executive Director

PS, If you can spare a few dollars to support our next big project, DONATE HERE!