I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4583 
To promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing workforce. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 23, 2016 
Mr. RUSH (for himself and Mr. HUDSON) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing 
workforce. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ENERGY AND MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE 
DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy (in this 
Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall prioritize edu-
cation and training for energy and manufacturing-related 
jobs in order to increase the number of skilled workers 
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trained to work in energy and manufacturing-related 
fields, including by— 
(1) encouraging the Nation’s education system 
to equip students with the skills, mentorships, train-
ing, and technical expertise necessary to fill the em-
ployment opportunities vital to managing and oper-
ating the Nation’s energy and manufacturing indus-
tries, in collaboration with representatives from the 
energy and manufacturing industries (including the 
oil, gas, coal, nuclear, utility, pipeline, renewable, pe-
trochemical, manufacturing, and electrical construc-
tion sectors) to identify the areas of highest need in 
each sector and to develop guidelines for the skills 
necessary to develop a workforce trained to go into 
the following sectors of the energy and manufac-
turing sectors: 
(A) Energy efficiency industry, including 
work in energy efficiency, conservation, weath-
erization, or retrofitting, or as inspectors or 
auditors. 
(B) Pipeline industry, including work in 
pipeline construction and maintenance or work 
as engineers or technical advisors. 
(C) Utility industry, including work in the 
generation, transmission, and distribution of 
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electricity and natural gas, such as utility tech-
nicians, operators, lineworkers, engineers, sci-
entists, and information technology specialists. 
(D) Nuclear industry, including work as 
scientists, engineers, technicians, mathemati-
cians, or security personnel. 
(E) Oil and gas industry, including work 
as scientists, engineers, technicians, mathemati-
cians, petrochemical engineers, or geologists. 
(F) Renewable industry, including work in 
the development, manufacturing, and produc-
tion of renewable energy sources (such as solar, 
hydropower, wind, or geothermal energy). 
(G) Coal industry, including work as coal 
miners, engineers, developers and manufactur-
ers of state-of-the-art coal facilities, technology 
vendors, coal transportation workers and opera-
tors, or mining equipment vendors. 
(H) Manufacturing industry, including 
work as operations technicians, operations and 
design in additive manufacturing, 3–D printing, 
advanced composites, and advanced aluminum 
and other metal alloys, industrial energy effi-
ciency management systems, including power 
electronics, and other innovative technologies. 
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(I) Chemical manufacturing industry, in-
cluding work in construction (such as welders, 
pipefitters, and tool and die makers) or as in-
strument and electrical technicians, machinists, 
chemical process operators, chemical engineers, 
quality and safety professionals, and reliability 
engineers; 
(2) encouraging the Nation’s education system 
to equip students with the skills, mentorships, train-
ing, and technical expertise necessary to fill the em-
ployment opportunities vital to managing and oper-
ating the Nation’s energy and manufacturing indus-
tries; and 
(3) strengthening and more fully engaging De-
partment of Energy programs and labs in carrying 
out the Department’s workforce development initia-
tives including the Minorities in Energy Initiative. 
(b) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall make educating 
and training underrepresented groups for energy and 
manufacturing-related jobs a national priority. 
(c) CLEARINGHOUSE.—In carrying out this section, 
the Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse to— 
(1) maintain and update information and re-
sources on training and workforce development pro-
grams for energy and manufacturing-related jobs, 
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including job training and workforce development 
programs available to assist displaced and unem-
ployed energy and manufacturing workers transi-
tioning to new employment; and 
(2) act as a resource, and provide guidance, for 
schools, community colleges, universities (including 
minority serving institutions), workforce develop-
ment programs, labor-management organizations, 
and industry organizations that would like to de-
velop and implement energy and manufacturing-re-
lated training programs. 
(d) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out this section, 
the Secretary— 
(1) shall collaborate with schools, community 
colleges, universities (including minority serving in-
stitutions), workforce-training organizations, na-
tional laboratories, State energy offices, workforce 
investment boards, and the energy and manufac-
turing industries; 
(2) shall encourage and foster collaboration, 
mentorships, and partnerships among organizations 
(including industry, schools, community colleges, 
workforce-development organizations, and colleges 
and universities) that currently provide effective job 
training programs in the energy and manufacturing 
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fields and institutions (including schools, community 
colleges, workforce development programs, and col-
leges and universities) that seek to establish these 
types of programs in order to share best practices 
and approaches that best suit local, State, and na-
tional needs; and 
(3) shall collaborate with the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, the Department of Commerce, the Bureau 
of the Census, and the energy and manufacturing 
industries to develop a comprehensive and detailed 
understanding of the energy and manufacturing 
workforce needs and opportunities by State and by 
region. 
(e) OUTREACH
TO MINORITY SERVING INSTITU-
TIONS.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall— 
(1) give special consideration to increasing out-
reach to minority serving institutions (including his-
torically Black colleges and universities, predomi-
nantly Black institutions, Hispanic serving institu-
tions, Native American serving Nontribal Institu-
tions, and tribal institutions); 
(2) make existing resources available through 
program cross-cutting to minority serving institu-
tions with the objective of increasing the number of 
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skilled minorities and women trained to go into the 
energy and manufacturing sectors; 
(3) encourage industry to improve the opportu-
nities for students of minority serving institutions to 
participate in industry internships and cooperative 
work/study programs; and 
(4) partner with the Department of Energy lab-
oratories to increase underrepresented groups’ par-
ticipation in internships, fellowships, traineeships, 
and employment at all Department of Energy lab-
oratories. 
(f) OUTREACH TO DISPLACED AND UNEMPLOYED 
ENERGY AND MANUFACTURING WORKERS.—In carrying 
out this section, the Secretary shall— 
(1) give special consideration to increasing out-
reach to employers and job trainers preparing dis-
placed and unemployed energy and manufacturing 
workers for emerging energy and manufacturing 
jobs; 
(2) make existing resources available through 
program cross-cutting to institutions serving dis-
placed and unemployed energy and manufacturing 
workers with the objective of training individuals to 
re-enter the energy and manufacturing workforce; 
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(3) encourage the energy and manufacturing in-
dustries to improve opportunities for displaced and 
unemployed energy and manufacturing workers to 
participate in internships and cooperative work/study 
programs; and 
(4) work closely with the energy and manufac-
turing industries to identify energy and manufac-
turing operations, such as coal-fired power plants 
and coal mines, scheduled for closure and to provide 
early intervention assistance to workers employed at 
such energy and manufacturing operations by— 
(A) giving special consideration to employ-
ers and job trainers preparing such workers for 
emerging energy and manufacturing jobs; 
(B) making existing resources available 
through program cross-cutting to institutions 
serving such workers with the objective of train-
ing them to re-enter the energy and manufac-
turing workforce; and 
(C) encouraging the energy and manufac-
turing industries to improve opportunities for 
such workers to participate in internships and 
cooperative work/study programs. 
(g) ENROLLMENT IN TRAINING AND APPRENTICE-
SHIP PROGRAMS.—In carrying out this section, the Sec-
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retary shall work with industry and community-based 
workforce organizations to help identify students and 
other candidates, including from underrepresented com-
munities such as minorities, women, and veterans, to en-
roll into training and apprenticeship programs for energy 
and manufacturing-related jobs. 
SEC. 2. REPORT. 
Five years after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall publish a comprehensive report to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate Energy and Natural Re-
sources Committee on the outlook for energy and manu-
facturing sectors nationally. The report shall also include 
a comprehensive summary of energy and manufacturing 
job creation as a result of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. USE OF EXISTING FUNDS. 
Amounts required for carrying out this Act shall be 
derived from amounts appropriated under authority pro-
vided by previously enacted law. 
Æ 
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