Press release: New Report Finds Cutting Methane Could Create 35,000 High-Quality Union Jobs In Texas
For Immediate Release: May 17, 2023
Contact: Veronica Serrano, Communications Coordinator, Texas Climate Jobs Project, veronica@txclimatejobs.org, 512-500-9267
Texas leads the country in methane emissions, one of the most harmful greenhouse gasses. The solution could mean creating thousands of good union jobs in the Lone Star State.
Austin, TX — A new report authored by researchers from the Texas Climate Jobs Project (TCJP) and the Ray Marshall Center at the University of Texas at Austin has found that Texas could create 35,000 union jobs by reducing methane emissions, which could increase the quality of life for Texans by reducing air pollution and creating jobs with strong labor standards.
Approximately 20,000 jobs will be needed to implement the standards in the Environmental Protection Agency’s new proposed methane rule and an additional 15,000 jobs will be needed to address methane emissions more broadly in Texas, including more than 5,000 jobs capping orphan wells.
“This report outlines a clear path forward for the benefit of countless Texans,” said Texas Energy & Climate Caucus Chair Rep. Erin Zwiener. “We need to do better for the workers in construction and oil & gas while also cutting our emissions. This report shows that when it comes to creating high-quality jobs and protecting our environment, methane mitigation is a win-win.”
Texas leads the nation in methane emissions. Methane, like carbon dioxide, causes planetary warming when released into the atmosphere, which can lead to destructive and harmful effects, like more severe weather events, and hotter and more prevalent heat waves. Methane also increases ozone pollution, which can lead to increased cases of asthma and decreased crop yields.
Mitigation of this harmful gas has gained attention at the national and at the state level.
“There is a new industrial revolution taking place, right now, under our noses,” said Rick Levy, president of the Texas AFL-CIO. “Mitigating methane in Texas can benefit the environment and create thousands of union jobs with workers who are well-trained, paid a family-sustaining wage and receive the benefits they deserve. These jobs are going to set the course of this country for generations to come.”
It is imperative that these jobs are union jobs. These jobs exist in industries often characterized by unsafe working conditions and unstable wages and it's critical that workers have strong protections in place and are highly trained. Union jobs are shown to have stronger protections, better jobsite safety, higher wages, and greater access to good benefits. Strong labor standards, like Workforce Development Boards, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, Project Labor Agreements, Labor Peace Agreements, and union apprenticeships could ensure that these methane mitigation jobs have the kind of work protections, wages, and benefits that working Texans deserve.
"As we move to a decarbonized economy, it's high time we take methane emissions seriously. Addressing these emissions means not just better health outcomes, but new job opportunities and economic benefits to the most impacted communities in the Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin," said Jose Corpus, Commission Shift Community Organizer and Language Access Coordinator.
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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 at www.txclimatejobs.org.