The members of the Green Workers Alliance are on the front lines of the clean energy revolution, building utility-scale wind and solar projects. As wind turbine technician Patrick Foeday says, “Green energy is cheaper and more reliable for people.” Cat McCoy, who is a heavy equipment operator on wind and solar projects, added, “The nation’s electrical grid has not been upgraded; it’s like retreading a tire all the time. Look at today’s demands; look at our homes, there are so many devices compared to where it started, it’s ridiculous. To do renewable as we upgrade the electrical grid only makes sense.”

This year, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create millions of jobs and fight climate change. Legislation in the U.S. Senate includes $500 billion for tax incentives for wind and solar projects, money to upgrade the electric grid and many more important projects. These tax incentives will create millions of renewable energy jobs but also help to make sure they are good jobs. This is particularly important because even when wind and solar projects are financed by utilities or other energy companies, they are usually built by subcontractors forced to cut corners and lower pay to win contracts. The tax incentives in the Build Back Better Act push companies to improve pay and working conditions on their renewable energy projects.

Yet some utilities fought to weaken this bill. They’d prefer to keep burning coal and gas. For example, American Electric Power (AEP), which services 5.5 million customers in 11 states, lobbied members of Congress against the bill’s climate provisions for utilities, saying it would force them to develop clean energy “too rapidly” even though experts found the plan’s goal of an 80% clean grid by 2030 was achievable without increased costs, would save 93,000 lives, and create nearly 8 million jobs. It’s no surprise that AEP derives 73% of their electricity from coal and gas. As the main utility in West Virginia, they have the ear of Sen. Joe Manchin, whose support is needed to pass the bill. They have given tens of thousands of dollars in donations to the senator and Manchin said he was listening closely to what the company’s CEO thought about the bill. AEP said they wanted the Clean Electricity Performance Program (which held utilities accountable to move towards renewable energy) weakened. Manchin then demanded it be stripped out of the bill.

Other utilities in the region are also failing on this front: the Sierra Club gave Dominion Energy a D and Duke an F on their transition to renewable energy.

It’s time to demand that utility companies like AEP, Dominion and Duke move to 80% renewable energy by 2030. Sign our petition to help us win more renewable energy jobs, better working conditions, and a cleaner, brighter future!