The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced Betony Jones, previously Senior Advisor on Workforce in the Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, will lead the Office of Energy Jobs as Director. In this role, Jones will play a critical role ensuring DOE programs — including those created by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating quality energy jobs.
“Betony’s years of experience at the intersection of labor and energy make her perfect for this position at this critical moment,” said Christopher Davis, chief of staff, DOE. “In her new role, Betony will lead the Department’s work with unions, industry, and other stakeholders to ensure the transition to the economy of the future provides opportunities for high-quality jobs across the country.”
The Office of Energy Jobs works with stakeholders, particularly labor unions, to support the creation of jobs in the energy sector and leads efforts to align energy workforce building and training programs. The office publishes the annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report, a comprehensive summary of national and state-level data on employment, occupation, unionization, demographics, and hiring in the energy field.
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to creating good-paying, union jobs, in part through pursuing President Biden’s climate goals, including a net-zero economy by 2050.
This month the Office of Energy Jobs will convene meetings between labor leaders and DOE leadership to discuss labor’s concerns and priorities and to ensure the Department continues to align its actions with the Administration’s support for union jobs.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will create jobs for workers, including hard-hit energy workers across the country, invested US$ 62 billion in DOE and will stand up 60 new programs, including 16 demonstration and 32 deployment programs, at the Department over the next five years. The Office of Energy Jobs plays a key role in making sure that funding reflects the Administration’s priorities for job creation.
