Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2017) – Terry O’Sullivan, the General President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) joined the United States’ Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to offer testimony on opportunities to improve American energy infrastructure.

In his testimony, President O’Sullivan moved beyond the proverbial “infrastructure is old and failing” in order to focus on what possibilities and challenges we face in order to improve US energy infrastructure in 2017 and beyond.

LIUNA represents a half-million workers, predominantly in the construction industry, and is a longtime advocate for greater energy infrastructure investment. In today’s hearing, President O’Sullivan spoke out about the importance of investing in the expansion and maintenance of America’s energy infrastructure projects on behalf of these 500,000 hard-working, highly skilled men and women.

“As the people who build, repair, and maintain our nation’s critical energy infrastructure, LIUNA members support a reasonable, rational, fact-based, all-of-the-above energy policy that creates middle-class jobs, meets America’s growing energy needs, fosters energy independence, protects the environment, and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions.” O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan went on to discuss the opportunities – both socially and economically - that a comprehensive domestic energy plan provides all Americans, specifically when the projects are conducted by a highly skilled and trained workforce.

“Unleashing the wealth of all of America’s energy resources will create economic opportunities in communities across the country, while making us less dependent on energy from nations that seek to undermine the American ideals of freedom and liberty. Adequate investment in surface transportation, water infrastructure, and domestic energy will create millions of jobs for workers across all segments of the economy. We can help grow our economy, rescue struggling working Americans, and leave behind real assets that will benefit taxpayers and our entire nation for generations to come.” O’Sullivan said.

Also joining the discussion, which hosted by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee were: Stephan Bird, CEO, Pacific Power; Carl Imhoff, Electricity Market Sector Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Clay Koplin, CEO, Cordova Electric Cooperative; Jeffrey Leahy, Deputy Executive Director, National Hydropower Association; Diane Leopold, CEO and President, Dominion Energy; and Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas, Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

O’Sullivan closed his testimony by saying that, “This isn’t a Republican issue or a Democratic issue; it’s an American issue. Every American benefits from good roads, safe bridges, clean drinking water, and affordable energy.”

#