FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2025
State Climate Jobs Organizations Respond to Job-Killing Cuts in Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill
Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill gutting the federal clean energy tax credits that are creating jobs, driving investment, and lowering costs across America. State-based Climate Jobs organizations – coalitions of labor unions committed to advancing a pro-worker clean energy economy – issued the following statements:
Climate Jobs Colorado: “The budget reconciliation bill is a disgrace to workers: it dismantles clean energy tax credits that were primed to support thousands of good-paying jobs and affordable, homegrown energy. But, Colorado’s unions will continue to build a pro-worker clean energy economy – no matter how hard Washington makes it – because we know it’s the only way we can make Colorado an affordable place to live, support thousands of jobs, and protect our environment for future generations. The responsibility to drive progress on a clean energy economy that works for working people now falls to the states. Colorado workers are ready to lead.”
Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs: “At a time when energy bills are spiking and families face rolling blackout risks, we need an energy policy that delivers affordable, reliable energy and good jobs. It’s deeply upsetting that in this moment, federal lawmakers are deciding to kill the clean energy tax credits that were helping us do just that. Nevertheless, unions in Connecticut will continue our work to build a clean energy economy that works for all of us. States must be ready to go big on climate action, making life more affordable for working families, and creating union jobs – and Connecticut must be ready to answer the call.”
Climate Jobs Illinois: “The federal budget bill’s threat to cancel clean energy tax credits is a setback, but it won’t deter us. Now is the time for cities and states to continue leading the charge towards a sustainable economy, one that empowers workers with good jobs, lowers costs for families, and safeguards our planet for generations to come. In Illinois, our labor unions have long championed this cause, pioneering efforts well before tax incentives existed, and we remain steadfast in our commitment. Our mission persists, undeterred.”
Maine Labor Climate Council: “Workers do not deserve to lose clean energy job opportunities so billionaires can get another tax break, but sadly, that’s exactly what this budget reconciliation bill will do. This bill is a blow to the Mainers who rely on clean energy jobs to put food on the table. Already, uncertainty around the tax credits had led to project cancellations and layoffs. We appreciate Senator Susan Collins raising concerns about the stark phaseout of energy tax credits and the impact this will have on clean energy projects in Maine. Unfortunately, those concerns weren’t enough to stop this harmful bill. With this failure of leadership at the federal level, we must use state and local power to bring down costs, create union jobs, and continue building domestic clean energy. Maine just had one of the most successful legislative sessions for climate and workers in our history, charting ambitious climate goals and establishing strong labor standards to protect workers building clean energy. We must work harder than ever to build a brighter clean energy future for Maine.”
Climate Jobs Massachusetts: “Clean energy is vital to meeting our growing energy needs, driving down costs, and creating family-sustaining careers for Massachusetts residents. We need more energy—and more American jobs—but this bill makes it significantly more difficult to build clean energy projects here. Our unions remain committed to achieving all the benefits of a clean energy economy.”
Climate Jobs New York: “Make no mistake, the dismantling of clean energy credits in the federal budget bill will be deeply harmful to clean energy progress. However, in New York, we were building clean energy before these credits were enacted, and we will continue to do so even if they are stripped away. Working families are on the frontline of the climate crisis – just this month, we had to choose between sweltering in record-breaking temperatures or turning on the AC and bracing for unmanageable electric bills. We need a path forward that meets our energy demands, brings down skyrocketing costs, protects our planet for future generations, and creates meaningful opportunities for workers. Clean energy is that path. With or without the support from our federal lawmakers, union workers in New York will find ways to build the pro-worker clean energy economy we need.”
Union Energy Pennsylvania: “As Pennsylvania struggles with the looming threat of skyrocketing energy costs and blackouts, we know what the solution is: more domestic clean energy built under the expertise of union workers. The federal government may make it harder to build more energy projects by eliminating clean energy tax credits, but that won’t stop us, the union workforce that built America. Together, we can bring down energy costs, protect good union jobs, and build a secure, independent energy system in America. Unions in Pennsylvania are ready to lead the way – America deserves no less.”
Climate Jobs Rhode Island: “By cutting support for clean energy projects, the federal government will make it harder to build energy when we need it most, threatening to raise prices on everyone’s energy bills and jeopardizing jobs across the country. Our small state isn’t going to back down from doing big things: we built the country’s first offshore wind farm years before anyone else was doing it, and we’re going to continue building critical new clean energy infrastructure that makes life more affordable for Rhode Island families and creates union jobs – regardless of what happens in Washington.”
Texas Climate Jobs Project: “As the home to the most clean energy generation in the country, Texans know how to go big on clean energy – more jobs, cheaper energy, and a stronger and more stable power grid. That’s why we remain committed to developing a pro-worker clean energy economy, regardless of the setbacks Washington delivers in their budget bill. Texans deserve good jobs that can support a family, energy bills that don’t break the bank, and a climate that’s liveable for the next generation. Now, it’s up to us to build it.”
Climate Jobs Washington: “Clean energy is our greatest opportunity to build an affordable economy in Washington State, with good union jobs for workers and a stronger, more reliable electrical grid. That doesn’t stop today, even if federal leaders strip away support for this vision. Now, it’s more important than ever to take bold action at the state and local level to build a strong, clean, and pro-worker energy economy.”