U.S. Dept. of Labor grants CT $5.8 million for green jobs

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced Wednesday afternoon that Connecticut will receive $5.8 million in grants for the creation of green jobs, pleasing both U.S. Rep. John Larson and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro.

The money comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Green Jobs Innovation Fund. The Connecticut Department of Labor in Wethersfield and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) in Pomfret will receive the grants.

The money received by the Connecticut Department of Labor will help create green jobs in Bridgeport, Bristol, Hartford, New Haven, New London and Waterbury.

“In the face of a 9 percent unemployment rate, this is seriously welcome news,” Larson said.

“What the grant will do is help open the door for almost 1,000 unemployed people all across Connecticut,” said DeLauro, a known supporter of initiatives championing green energy and green job growth.

“This is just one more way we’re working to create a green pipeline from education to the assembly line,” Solis said.