Senator of Massachusetts Edward J. Markey has called on Ørsted and Vineyard Wind to enter into Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for wind energy projects offshore Massachusetts and the larger East Coast.
A PLA would ensure that newly created jobs in the offshore wind industry are good-paying and safe, and that jobs would be filled with a highly skilled local union workforce.
Massachusetts has set a goal of procuring 1600 MW of offshore wind under a 2016 renewable energy law, and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources recently laid out a plan to solicit an additional 1,600 MW of offshore wind by 2024.
The U.S. Energy Department found that the United States could install a total of 22,000 megawatts of offshore wind projects by 2030 and 86,000 MW by 2050, creating tens of thousands of jobs in coastal communities along the Atlantic Coast.
“The introduction of offshore wind facilities off the coast of Massachusetts is poised to create tens of thousands of new jobs across the region,” wrote Senator Markey in his letters.
“All offshore wind projects off the coast of Massachusetts should enter into Project Labor Agreements to make sure that local, highly skilled workers can have good-paying and safe jobs in this important new industry. Massachusetts labor unions stand ready to tackle the opportunities and challenges of projects like Vineyard Wind, and can train and develop the local workforce to meet the demands of the offshore wind industry,” Senator added.
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