Virginia Governor Ralph S. Northam

WHEREAS, energy is a fundamental part of our everyday lives and supports daily tasks, such as feeding our  families, helping us commute to and from work and school, and cooling our homes; and

WHEREAS, energy enriches many of the fun things in life – supporting lights at baseball fields, air conditioning in movie theaters, rides at state fairs and so much more; and

WHEREAS, energy sustains many of modern society’s complex systems, including patient care, air traffic control, and industrial processes; and

WHEREAS, following a powerful storm, restoring energy supplies is one of the first steps to returning normalcy to our homes and communities; and

WHEREAS, energy helps generate commerce and fuel economic growth; and

WHEREAS, energy-related industries provide careers to tens of thousands of residents, including but not limited to lineworkers, engineers, customer service representatives, accountants, chemists, environmentalists, and power plant operators – all of whom are valued and essential; and

WHEREAS, energy-related industries need new skilled and talented workers to provide a bridge into future industries and to meet the challenges of a growing economy; and

WHEREAS, through strategic partnerships, the Virginia Energy Workforce Consortium strives to promote a unified and results-oriented effort to ensure that residents find rewarding careers in energy so that Virginia can continue to grow in prosperity;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ralph S. Northam, do hereby recognize October 19-23, 2020, as CAREERS IN ENERGY WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.