MichiganRadio

Blue Collar - Green Jobs DETROIT, MI (Michigan Radio) -

A coalition of labor and environmental groups want Michigan's two U-S Senators to support climate change legislation.

The Blue-Green Alliance says passing energy legislation working its way through Congress will jumpstart job creation in the clean technology sector.

The Alliance says setting a Renewable Electricity Standard of 25% by the year 2025 would create 34-thousand manufacturing jobs in Michigan. That's higher than the standard proposed in current legislation.

Cheryl Sanford manages a Michigan Works office in Highland Park. She says many displaced workers are already seeking training in the green jobs sector.

"We're getting more and more customers who have been dislocated from manufacturing in particular who are looking to get re-trained in a high-growth occupation," says Sanford.

Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow have both expressed tentative support for climate change legislation but also reservations about its potential impact on Michigan's agricultural and manufacturing sectors. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio