For Immediate Release: February 24, 2022
Contact: Mark Brueggenjohann (IBEW), 202-728-6014 and Mark Drajem (NRDC), 202-297-5444
IBEW, NRDC Call on Congress to Pass Build Back Better
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) sent a letter to members of Congress this week urging swift passage of the Build Back Better Act.
The joint letter, signed by the president of each organization, is a clear demonstration of the pressure building for this legislation, which will create high-quality union jobs while making much-needed investments in clean energy.
“Given the urgent need to cut emissions while driving a durable, equitable and just recovery, these investments can no longer wait,” IBEW’s Lonnie R. Stephenson and NRDC’s Manish Bapna wrote.
“We need the Build Back Better Act to catalyze new public and private investments that rebuild our country’s infrastructure while prioritizing the well-being of workers, families, and communities.”
Both IBEW and NRDC support several provisions of the legislation, including:
- Extensions of clean energy, energy efficiency, and EV charging tax incentives with prevailing wage and domestic content requirements;
- Support for interstate transmission lines and zero-emission buildings;
- Grants to build vehicle chargers in disadvantaged communities, develop high-speed rail corridors, and install zero-emission equipment at ports;
- Funding for reinvestment in environmental justice and energy communities.
In addition, both NRDC and IBEW support adding provisions to ensure that this investment is safe and reliable by requiring the use of highly-skilled Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) credentialed electricians on electric vehicle infrastructure projects.
“We believe that coupling labor standards with increasingly critical clean energy investments will lead to creation and retention of high-quality American jobs that offer workers a free and fair choice to join a union,” Stephenson and Bapna wrote.
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The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents approximately 775,000 members and retirees who work in a wide variety of fields, including construction, utilities, manufacturing, telecommunications, broadcasting, railroads and government.
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.