With federal funding being pulled back, leaders of Pennsylvania’s top labor unions push state policy to deliver clean energy jobs.

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For generations, union members have mined Pennsylvania’s coal, run its power plants, and built its energy infrastructure, helping make the state a top fossil fuel producer and electricity exporter. Now, renewable energy offers the promise of growth, but questions remain about the long-term jobs it will provide.

In 2024, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Building and Construction Trades Council formed Union Energy, with support from the Climate Jobs National Resource Center. The coalition was launched to leverage the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure new clean energy investment creates good-paying union jobs and broad community benefits.

But with federal funding being pulled back, state policy is now central. In Pennsylvania, where clean energy targets haven’t been updated in two decades, Governor Josh Shapiro has proposed a “Lightning Plan” with new standards, a cap-and-invest program, and streamlined permitting. Union Energy wants to help shape what comes next.

On the podcast, Union Energy’s leaders — Angela Ferritto, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, and Robert Bair, president of the Pennsylvania Building Trades — discuss the impact of recent policy shifts on their members, policies to expand clean energy with strong labor standards, and their vision for Pennsylvania’s energy future.

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Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu. 

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