Bruce Westerman: “This amendment requires local units of the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service to open…”

“This amendment requires local units of the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service to open job positions related to permitting or natural resources, including at local high schools, community colleges, universities, and other institutions. Madam Chair, I just have to commend the gentlewoman's district. I was recently in the town of Hobbs, New Mexico, and I got to visit an amazing facility called CTECH that is used to educate future workers in that area. I have seen a lot of career and technical education facilities, and this one is second to none. It was funded by the industry in the oil and gas business. They gave back to the community and built this remarkable facility. I believe they said over 1,000 high school students per year are using this facility. These are the places that are educating these future workers, and these jobs should be advertised there. We have heard from multiple sectors, including in the energy, mining, and renewable energy spaces, about the permitting challenges they face, and those challenges are magnified by a lack of sufficient qualified personnel in State and local land management offices. This amendment tasks the administration with performing outreach to local schools and other institutions to help fill open positions in their local offices.…”