Rapid Response Action Call: Steelworker Jobs and Affordable Energy in the UP are at Risk

Click here for a printable PDF of this Action Call.

Tell the Michigan Legislature: PASS HB 4007 and HB 4283 NOW!

The United Steelworkers have always stood up for both good union jobs and a clean environment. We’ve backed commonsense climate solutions since the 1960s—and we’re still doing it today. Right now, HB 4007 and HB 4283 are critical to keeping energy affordable and jobs secure in the Upper Peninsula. These bills make a small fix to Michigan’s clean energy law, but without them, the impact on our jobs and our power bills will be huge.

What HB 4007 and HB 4283 Do:
It’s a simple fix: these bills update the law so that reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE units) already in place count as “clean energy” under Michigan law. A RICE unit uses back-and-forth piston motion to convert fuel into energy. When optimized, it reduces fuel use and emissions, making it more environmentally friendly. These RICE units were recently built to transition the UP away from coal and towards cleaner natural gas. That means:

• Reliable, affordable power in the UP;
• Job security for Steelworker miners; and
• Continued progress in cutting carbon emissions.

What’s at Stake:

• Home Electric Bills Could Skyrocket – UP families could see monthly electric bills shoot up as high as $87 a
  month by 2040. That’s over $1,000 a year out of their pockets!
• Steelworker Jobs are at Risk – The Cleveland-Cliffs’ Tilden Mine, where hundreds of USW members work,
  could be hit with up to $182 million a year in extra energy costs. That puts operations, and their jobs, at risk.

Click HERE to see our testimony of support for HB 4007.

Tell your State Representative and Senator:
Stand with Michigan workers and pass HB 4007 and HB 4283 now!

Here are two ways you can help:

1. Click HERE to tell Michigan legislators to pass HR 4007 and HR 4283 so we can protect our jobs, keep our bills affordable, and support real, practical climate solutions.
2. On May 7th, we will be in Lansing to urge support on these two bills from our legislators. If you would like to join us, please contact District 1 Rapid Response Coordinator, Sue Browne, at sbrowne@usw.org or 269-838-5956 for more details.