(C) Common Dreams This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Maine's governor vetoes offshore wind bill, breaking with Biden's labor pledge [1] ['Maxine Joselow'] Date: 2023-06-28 Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share In today’s edition, we’ll cover the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to close a civil rights investigation. But first: Maine’s Democratic governor vetoed an offshore wind bill because of its labor standards Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Monday vetoed a bill that sought to boost the state’s offshore wind industry, saying the measure could exclude a majority of the state’s construction workers because of its labor standards. The decision put the Democratic governor at odds with the Biden administration, which has repeatedly pledged that new clean-energy jobs will be well-paying union jobs. Advertisement “We would expect this type of resistance from a Republican governor. But to have a Democratic governor impeding the president’s agenda is something that we just didn’t expect,” said Francis Eanes, executive director of the Maine Labor Climate Council, a coalition of a dozen unions across the state. The veto comes as offshore wind power is poised to play a crucial role in helping Maine meet its climate goals, according to the state’s Offshore Wind Roadmap, an extensive plan developed by the governor’s office in consultation with outside experts. The roadmap concludes that “it is highly implausible that Maine will be able to achieve its future energy requirements using solely onshore renewable energy sources.” Instead, it projects that Maine will need 2.1 to 2.8 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050. Advertisement “When it comes to meeting the climate targets, offshore wind is the biggest lever we can pull,” said Kathleen Meil, senior director of policy and partnerships for Maine Conservation Voters, an environmental group. The details The bill, L.D. 1847, actually originated from Mills’s office. It was initially intended to set environmental standards for ports that support the manufacturing, construction and operation of offshore wind projects. But Democratic lawmakers amended the bill to require companies to use project labor agreements, or PLAs, when working on port projects. PLAs generally mandate that companies pay a prevailing wage and hire registered apprentices. Labor advocates have argued nothing would exclude non-unionized companies from bidding for a PLA. But in a letter to lawmakers, Mills said this requirement could disadvantage Maine-based construction workers, since more than 90 percent of them are not unionized. She has said the PLA requirement would have a “chilling effect” on non-unionized firms. Advertisement “I do not believe any of us want to see out-of-state workers being bussed up to coastal Maine to build our offshore wind port while Maine workers are sidelined, sitting at home,” she wrote. Mills is also threatening to veto another bill because PLAs were included. L.D. 1895 would set a target for Maine to reach 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2040. ‘Maine can’t wait' Since taking office in January 2019, Mills has rolled out an ambitious climate agenda with the motto “Maine can’t wait.” In June 2019, Mills signed a law requiring the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. And in February, the governor announced a goal of reaching 100 percent clean electricity by 2040. Mills has also been a vocal advocate for installing floating wind turbines in the deep waters of the Gulf of Maine — so much so that many lobstermen feel the governor “isn’t doing enough to defend their livelihood,” the Bangor Daily News reported. “The Gulf of Maine has some of the strongest wind speeds in the world, representing a large source of potential energy for Maine and New England,” Mills said at a February summit hosted by the Biden administration. ‘Maine will wait’ Yet Mills has broken with the Biden administration when it comes to including strong labor standards in signature climate policies. Advertisement Inflation Reduction Act provided billions of dollars for Last year’sprovided billions of dollars for clean-energy tax credits that increase exponentially if companies meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law also created grant programs for port revitalization that prioritize applicants who use strong labor standards. Matt Schlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO, said it is “deeply disappointing” that Mills has rejected this approach. “The governor’s climate motto is ‘Maine won’t wait,’ but with this veto, Governor Mills is saying quite clearly that Maine will wait for thousands of good jobs, clean energy and the build out of a new industry,” Schlobohm said. But Jack Parker, chairman and CEO of Reed & Reed, a contractor based in Woolwich, Maine, praised the governor’s veto. “All of our employees chose to work in a non union environment,” Parker said in an email. “Why should politicians decide to exclude our employees and the rest of the 90% of Maine construction workers from participating in Offshore Wind?” The path forward The Maine Legislature was supposed to adjourn last week. But lawmakers are staying in session and racing to complete unfinished business before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Advertisement Maine state Sen. Chip Curry, a Democrat who sponsored L.D. 1847, said he is in talks with the governor’s office about amending the bill to secure her support, although he declined to share details of those conversations. “In the governor’s letter, she indicated an openness to continuing negotiations,” Curry said. “So we’re still fully in it. We’re looking to see where there’s common ground.” Agency alert EPA closes civil rights investigation into Louisiana pollution The Environmental Protection Agency has closed a civil rights investigation into two Louisiana state agencies without finding discrimination in how the agencies regulated chemical plants in an area known as “Cancer Alley,” according to court filings yesterday, The Washington Post’s Timothy Puko and Darryl Fears report. The move marks a setback for environmental justice advocates. It also deals a potential legal blow to the Biden administration’s promise to help poor and minority communities disproportionately exposed to toxic pollution, especially those living near an industrial corridor along the Mississippi long plagued by high cancer rates. Advertisement Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) had challenged the civil rights probe in court, arguing that the EPA had overstepped its authority. In Tuesday’s court filings, lawyers with the EPA and the Justice Department said the state’s Department of Health and Department of Environmental Quality had taken steps to protect vulnerable communities, including by proposing new rules to limit air pollution. As a result, they said the Biden administration will not take civil rights enforcement action against the agencies. U.S. added 300,000 energy jobs in 2022, Energy Department says The United States added 300,000 energy jobs last year, marking a 3.8 percent increase, according to an Energy Department report released today. About 40 percent of those jobs — 114,000 — were in the clean-energy sector, the report found. Advertisement These numbers are likely to further increase in the coming years as projects funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act begin to break ground, administration officials said on a call with reporters yesterday. “We’re delivering on our commitments; we’re resuscitating the energy sector,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Other notable findings from the 2023 U.S. Energy and Employment Report include: Jobs in the electric vehicle sector increased by 27 percent, a growth rate that was 17 times faster than that of the gasoline and diesel vehicle sector. The top three states for clean-energy job growth were California, West Virginia and Texas. West Virginia, which added 7,000 jobs, has long been a hub for coal mining, and it’s also the home of Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who has held outsize influence over President Biden’s climate agenda. Pressure points Lordstown Motors files for bankruptcy and sues Foxconn The Ohio electric truck maker Lordstown Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday and sued its business partner Foxconn for allegedly reneging on an investment deal, The Post’s Jeanne Whalen and Hamza Shaban report. The development follows several years of woes at the factory, which produced only 65 of its Endurance pickup trucks since it took over a former General Motors factory in 2019, despite then-president Donald Trump hailing the venture as a boon for the state. In its bankruptcy filing, Lordstown said it will sell its assets and “significantly reduce” its 243-person staff to a skeleton crew able to oversee the sale and complete previously ordered vehicles. Advertisement In a statement yesterday, Foxconn said it had been trying to help Lordstown through its financial difficulties but that the truck company “has been reluctant to perform the investment agreement between the two parties in accordance with its terms.” Lordstown’s troubles highlight the difficulty of scaling up a new auto company amid fierce competition in the electric-vehicle market. The shift to EVs has also retooled the auto industry, creating uncertainty for workers and manufacturers in regions that have historically linked their economies to the transportation sector. In the atmosphere Viral Thanks for reading! 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