- Dr. Jessica Moerman is ascientist and policy expert,

with the EvangelicalEnvironmental Network.

Welcome Jessica.

- Hi, thank you so much for having me.

- You say we have a moralresponsibility to support

oil and gas workers in thecoming energy transition.

What is happening to theindustry and what can we do?

- Well, the fact is is thatAmerica has always been

an energy innovator andwe've been seeing big changes

in the industry and the power sector

over the last several decades.

Right now we're seeingrenewables, clean energy,

like solar, wind power,begin to out-compete

oil and gas in the marketplace.

We're seeing these forms ofenergy become the cheapest.

And what that means is thatwe have a moral responsibility

to help our oil and gas workers transition

in this market-drivenchange that we're seeing.

And this isn't the firsttransition we've seen in energy,

even in this decade.

With the rise of methane gas production,

what we saw were coalworkers that were displaced

and left behind.

And even with PresidentTrump's efforts to support

the coal industry, we still saw jobs lost.

And what we need to do isprepare for the future.

We need to support oiland gas coal workers

to prepare them for theclean energy economy,

to bring jobs back to their communities;

help them translate their skills,like plugging those wells,

reclaiming those mine landsso that they can be used

for recreation and toenjoy God's creation.

Investment needs to bemade in these communities.

And I will say, we have seen a commitment

from the Biden Administration to do so,

but I think we all need tohold their feet to the fire,

to make sure that they doand that they don't leave

our critical fossil fuel workers,

who have really been theengine of making sure

that we had prosperity here in the U.S.

That as we transition tocleaner sources of energy,

that they're not left behind.

- Jessica, what do youthink could be positives

with President Biden's "Buy America Plan",

especially in manufacturing?

- Well, for better or for worse,

the government is a big spender.

And so what this plan does,is put that spending power

and pledges it to supportAmerican companies,

pledging to bring back jobs

to the American industryin the automobile industry,

to produce electric vehicles,

and invest in our infrastructureand do clean manufacturing

to make sure that we stillhave high paying jobs

brought back here athome to do manufacturing

and to do that, to alsoclean up God's creation.

- All right, Dr. Jessica Moerman,

with the EvangelicalEnvironmental Network.

Thank you so much.

- Thanks for having me.