Maine IBEW Member Joins House Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition in Washington D.C.

IBEW Local 567 member Kilton Webb was in Washington D.C. last week to participate in a public round table discussion with other workers on building the nation’s clean energy future. Participants in the event — which was hosted by the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) and SEEC Climate Jobs Task Force — discussed how the Inflation Reduction Act is training new generations of clean energy workers to build an a more equitable economy while leading the fight against climate change.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is hard at work bringing down costs for our families and sparking the creation of good paying union jobs in the trades," said SEEC Climate Jobs Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) in a statement.

“The transition to a clean energy economy provides a remarkable opportunity for more people to access the training and support they need to get quality, family-wage, union jobs,” said SEEC Climate Jobs Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) in a statement.

During the discussion IBEW 567 Kilton Webb noted that his union is leading the way in installing solar and organizing a coalition to build offshore wind, which are key parts of the Biden-Harris plan to decarbonize the electrical grid. As a result,  both IBEW 567 and 1253 have accepted record numbers of first-year apprentices this year.

“In less than two years since it’s passage, the Inflation Reduction Act has released a renewable energy boom,” said Webb. “IBEW members are proud to be among the tens of thousands of family-supporting clean energy jobs that have been announced in communities from coast to coast."

Webb noted that Local 567 is helping to lead the coalition of unions and environmental groups advocating for floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. He said that the project will not only reduce carbon pollution, but will also help rebuild Maine’s workforce after years of young people leaving the state for better opportunities.

“At two gigawatts, this offshore wind development is so large that we anticipate that it will put IBEW members to work for 30 years,” he said.

Webb pointed out that skilled union trades workers are setting the standard for quality in Maine.

“At the end of November myself and around 30 other IBEW members finished a solar field in Bristol, Maine,” said Webb. “When it was time to have the inspector come and review our work, he was so impressed with the workmanship that he told our general foreman that this was the new textbook quality work he plans to hold all other contractors to going forward. That is the beauty of our union standard and our core values.”