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Cry me a river. Wait, make that two rivers. On Friday, August 29, the Trump administration yanked one other rug out from underneath the US offshore wind business, sending hundreds of building jobs spinning into the black gap of malevolent incompetence that passes for the US authorities today. What number of of these jobs have been held by Trump voters stays to be counted, however … yeah, cry me a river.
Trump Kills Extra Offshore Wind Jobs … Shocker!
USA Right this moment took inventory of the state of affairs on August 27, shortly after Trump’s Inside Secretary, Doug Burgum, single-handedly shut down the Revolution Wind offshore mission in New England. The work was 80% full however a whole bunch of staff have been nonetheless busy tying up the free ends once they have been all despatched house by Secretary Burgum.
“Numerous constructing trades staff, a number of union staff, voted for Donald Trump and his group. However they didn’t vote to have union jobs shut down,” Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley informed USA Right this moment. “It shouldn’t work like this.”
Truly, it does work like this, they usually did vote to have their jobs shut down. Trump’s antipathy to wind generators is a well known proven fact that he has proclaimed typically, and loudly, ever since first campaigning for President in 2016. That was 9 years in the past. That makes 9 years of promising to kill the US wind businessonshore and off, proper on as much as and together with the marketing campaign 12 months of 2024.
Final 12 months, Trump additionally promised that the US would have “solely two sexes” if he received the workplace once more. Apparently some voters determined that having two sexes, and solely two sexes, was extra vital than, you already know, making a dwelling.
“For our of us, that is work, that is make or break for them,” Crowley additionally informed USA Right this moment. “If you get an opportunity to work on a mission that’s going to be round for months at a time, that gives you and your loved ones such a way of stability. And to have this occur? I’ve by no means seen something like this earlier than.”
Hey Guys, Brace Your self For One other Spherical Of Offshore Wind Layoffs
Within the weeks following Election Day 2024, Related Press was amongst these noting that help for Democratic candidates continues to run excessive amongst unionized staff and others holding building jobs, so it’s not clear that Crowley’s commentary is a by-the-numbers reflection of the Trump votes solid by individuals who have a private curiosity in working for a dwelling.
Nonetheless, AP was additionally amongst these emphasizing that the traits has been shifting in the direction of Republican candidates typically, and Trump particularly. “However with Trump’s populist enchantment, his working-class base noticed a good share of union rank-and-file voting for Republicans this 12 months,” AP reported on November 23 final 12 months.
“Working-class voters helped Republicans make regular election positive factors this 12 months and expanded a coalition that more and more consists of rank-and-file union members,” AP added.
If that’s certainly the case, then the Rhode Island wind staff who voted for Trump could have loads of firm as they cool their heels across the kitchen desk. Revolution Wind is only one amongst a number of components of the US offshore wind business that have been already in movement when Trump took workplace with intent to kill.
That brings us to Friday, August 29, the day when Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy helped to make sure that the bleeding of union jobs continues. Duffy issued an order clawing again $679 million in federal funds that had been allotted for 12 portside enchancment tasks that have been to have supported the offshore wind business, funded via his company’s Nationally Important Freight and Freeway Tasks program and the Port Infrastructure Improvement Program.
So, there goes extra jobs. They’re in all probability not coming again. The offshore wind business, alternatively, might be simply superb. The expertise isn’t going anyplace, and there are many alternatives to create new jobs constructing offshore wind farms in different international locations.
Offshore Wind Or Not, These Jobs Are Toast
The response to Friday’s announcement was swift, not that it issues. The Republican majority in Congress has gleefully permitted the President to overr-reach his Constitutional authority each day ever since January 20. Why ought to August 29 be any totally different.
Right here’s a consultant pattern from Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts:
“In unlawfully and senselessly chopping a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands in federal funding to offshore wind tasks, Trump simply signed a demise warrant for hundreds of union jobs nationwide and assured that households’ vitality payments will proceed to skyrocket.”
Liz Burdock, President of the offshore wind commerce group Oceantic Communityadditionally identified that the affect of the August 29 order will unfold far past the offshore wind business. “Offshore wind port growth upgrades services and capabilities that serve a number of industries,” she mentioned, noting that the offshore wind business has introduced new jobs to seaports by reviving underused and idled services, a few of which had lain fallow for many years.
That’s information to Transportation Secretary Duffy and his gang of taxpayer-paid workplace staff. “Wasteful, wind tasks are utilizing assets that would in any other case go in the direction of revitalizing America’s maritime business,” Duffy mentioned in a press assertion.
“Because of President Trump, we’re prioritizing actual infrastructure enhancements over fantasy wind tasks that value a lot and provide little,” he mentioned, including insult to harm.
Lie Down With Canine, Wake Up With Fleas
To not fear! Duffy will use the cash to make extra jobs at US seaports. No hurt, no foul amirite? “The place attainable, funding might be used to spend money on actual infrastructure, restoring American maritime dominance,” Duffy’s workplace declared.
That is still to be seen. In the meantime, as could also be anticipated the axe fell nearly totally on states headed up by Democratic governors. Right here’s the checklist posted by Senator Markey, with the states added in:
Withdrawn:
(Maryland} Sparrows Level Metal Marshalling Port Undertaking (PIDP; $47,392,500)
(Connecticut) Bridgeport Port Authority Operations and Upkeep Wind Port Undertaking (PIDP;$10,530,000)
(New Jersey) Wind Port at Paulsboro (Pidp; $ 20,494,025)
(New York) Arthur Kill Terminal (PIDP; $48,008,231)
(Rhode Island) Gateway Upgrades for Entry, Resiliency & Improvement on the Port of Davisville Undertaking (PIDP; $11,250,000)
(Virginia) Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics Port (PIDP; $39,265,000)
(California) Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind (INFRA; $426,719,810)
Terminated:
(California) Redwood Marine Terminal Undertaking Planning (PIDP; $8,672,986)
(Massachusetts) Salem Wind Port Undertaking (PIDP; $33,835,953)
(New York) Lake Erie Renewable Power Resilience Undertaking (PIDP; $11,051,586)
(North Carolina) Radio Island Rail Enhancements in Help of Offshore Wind (PIDP; $1,679,604)
(Virginia) PMT Offshore Wind Improvement (PIDP; $20,000,000)
What do you guess New York Governor Kathy Hochul is on the cellphone with Trump proper now, working to get that $11 million+ mission again in movement? Earlier this 12 months Hochul negotiated a restart of the Empire Wind offshore missionwith fuel pipeline tasks in her state as bargaining chips. Maybe she has one other card to play.
Let’s see what Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has to say about this, too. Youngkin is the one Republican governor on Duffy’s hit checklist, and he have to be questioning what he did unsuitable. In any case, Youngkin has affirmed his help for the Trump agenda all all through this 12 months.
Then again, Youngkin can also be the uncommon, if not the one, Republican governor within the US to champion an offshore wind mission. With Youngkin’s help the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind mission is effectively underneath method, protected from the knives of the Trump administration — for now, at the very least.
As of this writing, Youngkin has but to challenge a public response to the lack of greater than $60 million in federal funding. Perhaps he by no means will. Why ought to he? In any case, Youngkin is term-limited, and the good cash says a Democratic governor will inherit the entire mess after Election Day in November.
Picture (cropped): On August 29, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced that 12 portside tasks in help of the US offshore wind business will lose their federal funding (courtesy of US DOT).
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