Press release: Texas supports offshore wind, strong labor requirements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2023
Contact: Veronica Serrano, veronica@txclimatejobs.org, 512-500-9267
Texans overwhelmingly support building offshore wind energy with strong labor standards, according to a new poll released by the Texas Climate Jobs Project and conducted by Impact Research. The poll found that Texans believe offshore wind energy will improve the economy and support requiring developers to provide living wages and workplace safety protections for the jobs offshore wind will create.
“The best part of my job is looking at the Houston skyline and feeling proud of everything I contributed to it,” said PJ Shipman, member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 716. “If Texas workers can pioneer the offshore wind industry and set the nation's highest standards for safety and fair wages, that would surely be something to be proud of."
The poll found:
By a 44-point margin, nearly two-thirds of Texans support building offshore wind energy with strong labor standards (63% support / 19% oppose / 17% don’t know).
Texans see workplace safety and living wages as paramount for any jobs created by the offshore wind industry in the state. Texans overwhelmingly view workplace safety protections (88%) and living wages and good benefits (81%) as very important requirements for jobs created by the offshore wind industry.
Texans believe offshore wind will be good for the economy and jobs—two of their top priorities for lawmakers. By a 6-to-1 margin, Texans believe building offshore wind energy will be good for the economy (48% good / 8% bad); and by a 5-to-1 margin, they believe it will create jobs (53% create jobs / 11% cost jobs). More than four-in-five Texans say that strengthening the state’s economy (81%) and creating more good jobs (80%) should be very important issues for lawmakers working on energy and environment issues.
“This poll confirms what we already know, that the public supports developing new clean energy, like offshore wind, and they support the workers who build it. Clean, sustainable energy is the future – and building it with union jobs will make sure it’s a win-win for our planet and workers,” said Rick Levy, president of the Texas AFL-CIO.
About the poll: Impact Research conducted an online and text-to-web survey conducted April 14th to 20th, 2023 among N=3300 registered voters in target offshore wind development states, including N=500 interviews in Texas. The margin of error for the overall results is ±1.7% and ±4.4% for results in Texas at the 95% level of confidence.
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The Texas Climate Jobs Project (TCJP) is a coalition of unions from across Texas united to fight climate change and reverse income inequality. Learn more: www.txclimatejobs.org.