State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, AFL-CIO
BUILDING TRADES NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2011
CONTACT:
Cesar Diaz, 916-690-5330
Jennifer Badgley, 619-957-4569
California Construction Workers
to Sempra Energy:
Keep Green Jobs in California
Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu Evaluating Sempra Proposal to Offshore Green Jobs, Outsource California Energy Production to Mexico
NEWPORT BEACH, CA – California construction workers rallied outside of Sempra Energy’s Annual Shareholder meeting urging the company to keep green energy jobs in the United States. Sempra’s Energia Sierra Juarez cross-border transmission line proposal would export jobs by allowing energy projects in Mexico to connect with California’s grid instead of building renewable energy projects in the state, putting Californians back to work.
Cesar Diaz, Legislative Director for the California State Building and Construction Trades Council noted, “Sempra’s plan is a job killer. This cross-border transmission project to import energy from Mexico into California instead of building projects here undermines President Obama’s vision to create jobs. It is a flawed proposal and the wrong direction at a time when we should be building green energy projects here, putting Californians back to work.”
He commented, “The California State Building and Construction Trades Council calls on Secretary Chu at the Department of Energy to just say no to Sempra’s plan to outsource American jobs.”
Unemployed electrician Joseph Russo agreed, “With construction unemployment at its highest in a generation, we can’t afford to outsource even one construction job as Sempra is proposing to do. I hope Secretary Chu and President Obama will say no to Sempra’s request for a cross-border transmission line to send energy jobs out of the country when we need to build green energy projects here and put people back to work.”
Secretary Steven Chu at the Department of Energy will decide later this year whether or not to issue a Presidential Permit to allow Sempra’s plan to proceed.
The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTC) represents over 200 local construction unions in California with nearly 375,000 members. The primary mission of the SBCTC is to improve the health, jobs safety and economic conditions of the members of its affiliates, and of all working men, women and minors in the construction industry by all lawful means.
###
