Washington, D.C. – June 11, 2021 – North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) President Sean McGarvey issued the following statement applauding the Department of Interior’s proposed stipulations for the New York Bight offshore wind lease sale:

“North America’s Building Trades Unions applaud the Department of Interior’s proposed stipulations for the New York Bight offshore wind lease sale; specifically, the requirement for prospective lessee’s to make “every reasonable effort” to enter into a project labor agreement for the construction of any proposed project in the lease area.

“Encouraging prospective developers to sign project labor agreements is in line with the Biden-Harris Administration’s promise to create middle class jobs in the clean energy industry that pay family-sustaining wages and benefits. The proposed New York Bight lease areas have the potential to create over 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, powering more than 2.6 million homes and supporting local economic development with thousands of new jobs. With a project labor agreement in place, future projects will also prioritize job site safety and make sure this energy infrastructure is built by the highest-qualified workforce that will in turn promote an on-time and on-budget delivery of each project.

“With the Administration’s goal of creating 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, it is imperative that these jobs of the future generate viable pathways to the middle class. Today’s announcement is a solid step in the right direction.”

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