Funding provided by Inflation Reduction Act supported by Murray, Cantwell & Kilmer
Programs at Peninsula, Grays Harbor, Green River, South Puget Sound, Spokane, and Wenatchee Valley College to receive funding
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06) announced $9,257,231 for six community colleges to work with Washington state tribes to develop curriculum teaching students how to apply Indigenous natural resource management knowledge in regions impacted by climate change. This grant comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate-Ready Workforce initiative, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which Senators Murray and Cantwell and Rep. Kilmer championed.
“Tribal communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, so it’s important that we do more to help Washington state’s Tribes build more resilient communities,” said Senator Murray. “That includes investing in partnerships with our Tribes, so that Tribal members have greater access to natural resources workforce development programs, and those programs incorporate key traditional ecological knowledge that has long been missing. I’m glad to see over $9 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats passed go out the door to the Tribal Stewards partnership with community colleges across Washington state to open doors for graduates who want to serve their communities and advance environmental justice.”
“Preparing for a changing climate is going to require a climate-ready workforce,” said Senator Cantwell. “Together with tribes, this initiative will give community college students at Peninsula, Grays Harbor, Green River, South Puget Sound, Spokane, and Wenatchee Valley access to critical job training to fill our workforce gaps in water, fishery, and forest management.”
“Folks in Washington’s coastal and Tribal communities are already feeling the impacts of climate change,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06). “That’s why it’s critical that we take action now to ensure that we develop a workforce that can specialize in climate resilience and resource co-stewardship in communities that are on the frontlines. This critical investment from NOAA will help foster the next generation of students who are trained for careers in the green economy and ready to tackle the complex challenges of the climate crisis.”
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) will use this funding over the next four years to support the Tribal Stewards Program, a partnership between community colleges and tribes to integrate Indigenous natural resources knowledge into college workforce programs. The program also offers support to graduates to help them apply for high-paying natural resources jobs with public and private employers that have committed to hiring students from the program.
Existing natural resources career pathway programs at the following colleges will be bolstered by this funding:
- Peninsula College – in partnership with the Makah Tribe
- Grays Harbor College – in partnership with the Quinault Indian Nation
- Green River College – in partnership with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
- South Puget Sound Community College – in partnership with the Squaxin Island Tribe
- Spokane Community College – in partnership with the Colville Confederated Tribes
- Wenatchee Valley College – in partnership with the Colville Confederated Tribes
The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, The Evergreen State College, and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist are also partnering organizations.
###
English 
Spanish