Megawatts and middle‑class jobs

Experts from government, academia, industry and the community gathered April 20 at the University of Delaware to confront one of the nation's most pressing challenges: how to ensure affordable energy while protecting the environment and sustaining middle-class jobs.

The daylong policy conference marked the launch of the Carper Collaborative on Climate and Jobs, a new initiative housed at the Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) at UD and led by former U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, now a Distinguished Fellow at the institute. The inaugural event, held at UD's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, drew an audience approaching 200, including the entire Delaware Congressional delegation.

From rising household energy costs and growing infrastructure needs to workforce shortages and supply-chain constraints, speakers emphasized that the energy transition is no longer a distant scenario but a present-day economic and policy reality.