Farmingdale, NY – Monday, Reps. Steve Israel (NY – 02) and Tim Bishop (NY – 01) hosted two events, a job fair and a summit on economic recovery funding, aimed at creating and keeping green jobs on Long Island. Reps. Israel and Bishop were joined at the green jobs fair by Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko, Farmingdale State College President W. Hubert Keen, and John Durso, President of the LI Federation of Labor

“Last week we learned that Long Island lost more jobs in March. But today we’ve got some good news – there are companies hiring and businesses that are capitalizing on the new investments and developments in clean energy,” said Rep. Israel. “Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, our local communities will be launching dozens of new green initiatives, creating new ‘green collar’ jobs and helping Long Island build up an alternative energy economy.”

“The new funds available through the economic recovery bill will make Long Island communities more energy efficient, create jobs, and reduce energy costs in the future,” Rep. Bishop said. “We are delivering on our promise to invest in green jobs and clean energy technologies that will help turn our economy around while making America energy independent.”

The Congressmen joined with Farmingdale State College to host a “Green Jobs Fair” including 21 employers seeking to fill positions such as engineers, installers, sales and administrative staff. Rep. Israel and Dr. Hubert Keen, President of Farmingdale State College, announced the launch of a new green jobs website, GreenJobsLI.com, to help job seekers find resources and listings for green collar employment.

“This is exactly the kind of effort a public college should be making,” said Farmingdale State College President Keen. “Part of our mission is to develop the workforce for the Long Island region and contribute to economic development. Nothing can be more important than an effort to help stimulate employment during the current economic recession, and I want to thank both Congressman Israel and Bishop for their leadership and vision in their initiatives.”

Following the job fair, Reps. Israel and Bishop joined with local elected officials and the Department of Energy for a summit about how to coordinate and apply for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R.1). The summit included a presentation from the Department of Energy on how local communities can access the $175 million in block grant funding for New York, including $24.5 million for Long Island.  Reps. Israel and Bishop urged the local communities to communicate, coordinate, and work with their federal officials to ensure Long Island can maximize its share of recovery funding.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program will award more than $2.7 billion nationally via formula to towns and counties, and an additional $400 million will be award competitively.

Long Island’s communities will be receiving the following amounts:

• Nassau County  $3,723,100
• Suffolk County   $732,900
• The Town of Babylon  $1,545,200
• The Town of Brookhaven  $4,141,200
• The Town of Freeport  $173,100
• The Town of Hempstead  $5,057,500
• The Town of Huntington  $1,725,200
• The Town of Islip  $3,026,100
• The Town of North Hempstead  $892,100
• The Town of Oyster Bay  $2,217,000
• The Town of Smithtown  $1,064,500
• The Town of Southampton  $206,600

Rep. Israel serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water and co-chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition in the House.

Rep. Bishop serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.