“We support a rational, all-of-the-above energy policy”

Washington, D.C. (February 15, 2017) – Terry O’Sullivan, the General President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) joined the United States’ House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Energy to offer testimony at a hearing entitled Modernizing Energy and Electricity Delivery Systems: Challenges and Opportunities to Promote Infrastructure Improvement and Expansion.

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

LIUNA represents a half-million workers, predominantly in the construction industry, and has been a strong and outspoken advocate for greater energy infrastructure investment. In today’s hearing, General President O’Sullivan spoke out on the importance of investing in the expansion and maintenance of America’s energy infrastructure projects to meet our nation’s growing energy needs responsibly.

“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 when infrastructure is built 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 hostile nations. From surface transportation and water infrastructure to domestic energy, adequate investment 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 was hosted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy were: Rex Ferry, Owner and CEO, Valley Electrical Consolidated; Kim Kann, Citizen; Chad Harrison, Councilman at Large, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; and Joey Mahmoud, Project Director, Dakota Access Pipeline.

In closing, O’Sullivan remarked, “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”.

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build America.