Joe Biden will host the first meeting of his Middle Class Task Force on Friday at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on the potential for green jobs to create a pathway to economic stability.
The panelists gathered in Philadelphia — including greens, labor leaders, and the president’s top advisors — will explore several main questions: What are green jobs, how can they help the middle class, and what are the roles of various stakeholders in making that happen?
Biden penned an op-ed in Friday’s Philadelphia Inquirer on the meeting and the prospects for green jobs. “Investing in green jobs also means keeping up with the modern economy,” he writes. “At a time when good jobs at good wages are harder and harder to come by, we must find new, innovative opportunities.”
Speaking on the panels today:
- John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress
- Van Jones, president of Green for All
- Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund
- Carol Browner, assistant to the president for energy and climate change
- Leo Gerard, president of United Steelworkers
- Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
- Cecilia Estolano, CEO of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Authority
- Mark Edlen, managing principal of Gerding-Edlen Development
Also expected at the event:
- Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
- Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
- Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
- Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis
- Director of White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes
Check in later for more from today’s summit.
