US unveils $4bn plan to upgrade public housing as part of green jobs project | Environment | guardian.co.uk
US unveils $4bn plan to upgrade public housing as part of green jobs project Environment guardian.co.uk The Obama administration unveiled a $4bn (£2.5bn) plan to upgrade public housing for low-income Americans today, as part of an ambitious green job-creation project. Obama sent the vice-president, Joe Biden, and other senior officials to Denver for a formal announcement of the renovation scheme, which will replace windows, insulation and even light bulbs in ageing and neglected housing stock. The labour secretary, Hilda Solis, was also expected to announce $500m to train up workers for the new jobs . Of those funds, $50m will be directed to regions that have been hardest hit by the recession – such as the rustbelt state of Michigan where the unemployment rate is now 12%. The funds mark the first phase of the green job creation plan envisaged in Obama's $787bn economic recovery plan . Officials said that attempts would be made to train local people for the work. "This presi