Granholm: Federal investments put Michigan union workers at heart of clean energy boom

Michigan’s union workers have a big role to play in the nationwide transition to clean energy, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during a conference in Ann Arbor.

ANN ARBOR—A new analysis shows that billions of dollars in federal investments have created tens of thousands of new job opportunities statewide in recent years as major manufacturers look to hire more Michiganders and capitalize on the nationwide transition to clean energy.

And with billions of dollars in more grants and tax incentives from the Biden-Harris administration still en route, Michigan’s union workers will play an outsized role in driving forward that “clean energy revolution,” according to US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

“The best part is that we are just getting started,” Granholm told an auditorium packed full of union plumbers and pipefitters during a conference in Ann Arbor on Wednesday afternoon.

Granholm served as the keynote speaker for the United Association (UA) of Plumbers and Pipefitters annual instructor training program at Washtenaw Community College this week.

Her remarks centered largely on the importance of supporting unionized labor during the nationwide transition to clean energy—and how the Biden-Harris administration is committed to ensuring stable employment and training opportunities for union workers along the way.

“We are not going to sit on our hands and allow other countries to out-compete us in terms of getting these manufacturing jobs,” Granholm said. “You are the architects of our energy future.”

A new analysis from Climate Power shows that the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy plan—which includes the passage of key bills like the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—has spurred on $372 billion in new clean energy projects across 47 states and Puerto Rico, creating nearly 350,000 new jobs nationwide.

As the automotive manufacturing capital of the world, Michigan has emerged as a national leader in clean energy—attracting nearly $27 billion in federal investments over the last two years, sparking more than 60 new clean energy projects, along with nearly 22,000 new jobs.

Granholm said the whole idea is to “make America irresistible” for clean energy investments.

“That policy was crafted with the UA on our side. That policy was informed by your leadership,” Granholm told the union workers. “That policy—those laws that were passed—were passed with you all and your futures in mind. This is an amazing time to be in the construction trades.”

She added: “Policy works, leadership matters, and you all are benefiting from that.”

Under federal law, non-union companies cannot be precluded from applying for federal grants and loans for clean energy, so not all of the companies that have received them are unionized.

But Granholm said the federal selection process has been heavily weighted in favor of unionized labor—including by requiring projects to include exceptionally strong labor standards, which include detailed labor agreements to ensure all workers are paid at competitive rates.

“We’re not allowed to force those who seek grants and loans to unionize, but we can be persuasive,” Granholm said. “We are building in America. We’re not sitting by anymore.”

As a result, UA President Mark McManus said interest in the skilled trades—and union membership—has been buzzing. With at least 800 new members signing up every month, the UA has chartered about 60 new local union chapters over the last five years, McManus said.

“Workers want to be represented. They want to work in a good mental space. They want to have retirement security,” McManus added. “That’s the future of America and that’s the future of the UA—and we have the opportunity to grow that because specific legislation has passed.”

As governor during the Great Recession, Granholm also reflected with workers about the economic hardships of the past, recalling automotive factory closures and job losses. But under the Biden-Harris clean energy plan, those days are now in the rear-view mirror, she said.

“Michigan, as a state, was losing jobs. We were just watching all these factories close down, and we didn’t have a federal partner to be able to keep factories open to keep manufacturing in this country,” Granholm said. “But times have changed so much from when I was governor.”

As Vice President, Kamala Harris has repeatedly cast the tie-breaking vote in the US Senate to pass federal clean energy incentives into law. Now on the campaign trail for president, Harris has vowed to keep looking out for union workers as the clean energy transition continues.

But Granholm cautioned workers about the possibility of those job-creating federal investments being repealed, should ex-President Donald Trump make his way back to the White House. 

The detailed, 900-page plan for a second Trump term—known as Project 2025—calls for repealing both the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which would jeopardize billions of dollars in clean energy investments, along with thousands of jobs.

“Project 2025, just as a general matter, is a series of policy prescriptions that would undo a lot of what we’re talking about—including the incentives that are bringing all of this manufacturing to the United States,” Granholm said. “I encourage people to take a look at Project 2025.”

READ MORE: Michigan union workers gear up for ‘Clean Energy Future’

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