Skilled Trades Workers Power Our Clean Energy Industry as Threats to Jobs and Investments Mount
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Columbus, OH—On National Skilled Trades Day, Climate Power celebrates the hardworking Americans who power our country. Skilled tradespeople—electricians, welders, technicians, and more—are at the heart of our nation’s energy production and our growing clean energy economy.
Prior to Trump’s election, the United States was experiencing the largest boom in factory construction investment in American history, creating over 400,000 jobs, spurred in large part by clean energy tax credits. Unfortunately, since the beginning of the Trump Administration, that growth has begun to reverse.
A recently released report shows that 95 clean energy projects have been threatened, delayed, or canceled nationally since Trump took office, representing $71.24 billion in investment and 62,554 jobs. In Ohio, 1,300 jobs and $500 million in investments have already been threatened under Trump’s war on clean energy.
Last Thursday, 38 House Republicans sent a letter to their Ways and Means Committee colleagues calling on them to fully repeal the 2022 clean energy tax credits that have driven this manufacturing and clean energy boom over the last three years. Ohio Congressmembers Michael Rulli and Warren Davidson were among the Republicans who signed on to the letter despite the 736 jobs and over $360 million in investments in their own districts.
Our clean energy industry has strengthened our economy and offers skilled tradespeople good-paying, family-supporting careers in fields like construction, electrical work, and manufacturing. Supporting skilled tradespeople and protecting clean energy investments are essential to sustaining American jobs, made-in-America energy, and securing an energy-independent future for our nation.
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