Confirm Hilda Solis for Labor Secretary

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Nick Berning: (202) 222-0748

Friends of the Earth Urges Senate to Confirm Hilda Solis

WASHINGTON, D.C.Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder today urged senators to confirm Representative Hilda Solis as the next Secretary of the Department of Labor. His statement follows:

Representative Solis has long been a leading proponent of economic and environmental justice and a leading advocate for public health. As Secretary of Labor she will be a main leader in our nations transition to a clean, green energy economy that creates millions of good-paying green-collar jobs.

Solis has played a key role in watch-dogging the Bush administrations Environmental Protection Agency, and has been a fierce leader in the struggle to protect communities from exposure to toxic chemicals and violations of safe drinking water standards.

She has introduced legislation to protect low-income communities from the financial impacts of climate policy, and pushed for the expansion of green building investments and job opportunities in low-income and other vulnerable communities.

She worked against the environmentally and socially harmful free trade agenda pushed by the Bush administration and, with wide support from Latino groups, boldly opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

She also introduced a resolution highlighting the link between public health and global warming and supported a requirement for the U.S. government to assess the impacts of climate change outside of the United States.

Ms. Solis has a solid understanding of the issues that face the American workforce and our nations industrial base. She also has intimate knowledge of the challenges faced by our partners in developing countries, including climate change and trade, which she would bring with her to the Department of Labor.

Representative Solis is a proud progressive who understands that green jobs will be the underpinning of our 21st Century economy. She would be an exceptional Secretary of Labor.

We urge the Senate to strengthen the Department of Labor with a renewed sense of purpose by confirming Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor. Friends of the Earth looks forward to working with Ms. Solis in this new capacity and with Congress to further new initiatives to support a clean, green economy.

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Amigos de la Tierra (www.foe.orgFriends of the Earth (Amigos de la Tierra) es la voz estadounidense de la mayor red ambientalista de base del mundo, con grupos miembros en 77 países. Desde 1969, Friends of the Earth lucha por crear un mundo más sano y justo.