TEXAS U.S. REPS, UNIONS CALL FOR PRO-WORKER OFFSHORE WIND LEASES IN GULF OF MEXICO
Texas Climate Jobs Project
For Immediate Release: June 2, 2022
Contact: Stephanie Corte, stephanie@txclimatejobs.org
Eight Texas U.S. House members sent letter to Interior Secretary Haaland joining unions’ demands for strong labor and equity standards in federal offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Mexico
Texas—Today, eight members of the Texas congressional delegation called for stronger labor standards to encourage good union jobs and more clean energy as the U.S. ramps up offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico.
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Sylvia Garcia, sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calling on the Department of Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to require stronger labor and equity standards in the agency’s Gulf of Mexico leases in 2023. Their letter echoes demands for stronger labor and equity standards made by Texas unions in a February letter to BOEM.
The offshore wind potential in the Gulf is significant: wind development could supply enough power to meet double the current energy needs of all five Gulf states.
The Biden administration has emphasized the industry’s potential to create millions of good jobs. But the lawmakers say that without stronger labor and equity standards in the Gulf offshore leases, workers in Texas will miss out on the real promise of offshore wind due to barriers to union organizing at the state level and developers’ unconstrained ability to cut corners when it comes to working conditions.
“The benefit of offshore wind not only has remarkable environmental benefits, but it has the potential to be a massive economic booster. Requiring developers and their contractors to sign into these agreements as a binding condition is a great first step in ensuring good-paying union jobs are optimized throughout all phases of this region’s offshore wind development,” says Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX-29).
“As the United States accelerates our investments in clean energy, Texans deserve to benefit from the good-paying union jobs and local investments that wind energy can create,” said Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20). “I strongly urge the Biden administration to tighten labor and equity standards for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico to ensure that the workers who drive our clean energy revolution are the first to see the profits.”
As the lawmakers write in their letter, BOEM can use its offshore wind leases and environmental impact review process to strengthen worker protections, labor standards, and equity requirements. “We urge you to ensure that the Gulf Coast projects provide high-quality union jobs with opportunities for advancement and reinvestment in the local communities,” they write.
In addition to Rep. Garcia (TX-29) and Rep. Castro (TX-20), six other lawmakers signed the letter. They include U.S. Representatives Al Green (TX-9), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), and Veronica Escobar (TX-16).
The letter calls on BOEM to:
Require that all development in connection with the Gulf lease areas be done with union labor, under a project labor agreement (PLA);
Ensure that economic and social benefits of the projects are directed back to the communities most impacted by climate change and the transition to renewable energy via Community Workforce Agreements; and
Require that all vessels used in support of lease development be Jones Act compliant, i.e. that any vessel transporting cargo between U.S. ports, or between U.S. ports and offshore facilities, be built and flagged in the U.S.
PLAs set strong workplace standards for large projects, including wages, hours, benefits, safety matters and other issues of importance to workers and managers. Such agreements have a history of providing a steady workforce and bringing projects in on time and within budget.
“Offshore wind is coming to Texas, but we have to act now to make sure this new industry benefits all Texans. We need stronger labor and equity standards in Gulf offshore wind leases to ensure that this vital energy work creates good union jobs in the communities that need them most. If we get this right, we can create thousands of high-quality, family-sustaining careers and build a thriving, union-built clean energy economy,” says Stephanie Corte, Campaigns Director, Texas Climate Jobs Project.
“Whether you live in Corpus Christi, Beaumont, or Houston, requiring offshore wind developers in the Gulf to create safe, high-quality, jobs where workers have a democratic voice, benefits, training, and retirement security would be life-changing for communities all along the Texas coast,” says Hany Khalil, Executive Director, Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.
“The potential for offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico is massive. Offshore wind is a source of energy that is affordable and abundant that could deliver reliable power to our grid, lower energy costs for working families, and bring good-paying jobs to our communities,” says Jeremy B. Hendricks, Assistant Business Manager/Political Director, Southwest Laborers District Council, Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA).
“Coastal communities everywhere are suffering from the consequences of the climate crisis—dwindling fish populations, more frequent and intense hurricanes, and concentrations of toxic pollution in under-resourced, marginalized neighborhoods. Offshore wind is a chance to change these issues. Union-built offshore wind can offer new habitats to marine life, reduce pollution and diversify the energy economy of some of Texas’ most historically marginalized coastal communities,” says Dave Cortez, Director, Texas Sierra Club.
The Texas Climate Jobs Project is a coalition of unions united around a pro-worker, pro-climate agenda. Learn more: www.txclimatejobs.org/
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