Create Green Jobs With Federal Recovery Money

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I am thrilled to see that the economic revitalization plan includes money for green jobs, but I am concerned that federal agencies may direct the money toward infrastructure projects instead of jobs that help fight global warming. Please direct the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to ensure that the jobs created are actually green.

The Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management will receive more than $2 billion with your plan - and I want to ensure those agencies will use the funding for land, habitat and watershed restoration projects. Among the many important jobs to be done, workers employed through these funds would remove invasive species, restore watersheds, repair fish culverts, remove damaged and unwanted roads in forests and plant native trees. These jobs will employ thousands of engineers, foresters, construction crews, biologists and more.

Our economy is dependent upon thriving natural systems. Economic sectors tied to outdoor recreation contribute more than $700 billion to the U.S. economy every year. More broadly, ecosystems also contribute to trillions of dollars of economic benefits through services they provide, cleaning our air and water, pollinating our crops and storing heat-trapping pollution.

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Thank you for directing the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to ensure that the jobs created focus on helping stressed lands become more resilient to climate change.