Environmental, Labor Leaders Join House Blue-Green Caucus to Unveil Legislative Package
Rep. Joe Webster June 9, 2025 | 2:55 PM
HARRISBURG, June 9 – Today the House Blue-Green Caucus, a group of members who support both labor unions and environmental causes, joined advocates to announce a package of bills to advance clean energy production, create family-sustaining jobs, and protect the environment in Pennsylvania.
The caucus, chaired by Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., seeks to unify labor and environmental advocates and dispel the long-held myth that their interests are at odds in Harrisburg.
“There is no more important time for the state to enact an ambitious energy plan than right now,” said Fiedler, who is also chair of the House Energy Committee. “As state lawmakers, we are stepping up and making sure that Pennsylvania has a workable energy plan that keeps our state competitive and sustainable for future generations. This package of bills is a core part of shaping the energy present and future of our commonwealth.”
“For the second year in a row, I am proud to support a Blue-Green Bill package that has the support of both the labor movement and the environmental movement,” said Rep. Leanne Krueger, D-Delaware. “We have so much common ground and so many shared values, yet outside forces have often tried to divide labor and environmental stakeholders for their own political gain and, sometimes, to cause chaos. We are always stronger together.”
This year’s package includes legislation that would incentivize solar development and clean manufacturing, introduce protections for workers in extreme heat, improve infrastructure for electric vehicles, and develop a training program to support veterans seeking employment in the sustainability sector. The coalition also supports the full funding of mass transit in this year’s budget.
"We can match green technologies with real economic opportunity in Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Joe Webster, D-Montgomery, sponsor of two bills in the package. “My bill H.B. 894 creates grant programs for veterans through qualifying employers to expand apprenticeships in areas that reduce energy usage and support high-quality employment and training for our veterans, to whom we owe so much. H.B. 705 is focused on transportation electrification planning. The impact of electrification needs is dramatically increasing, and Pennsylvania needs a plan to meet the economic demands for energy in our commonwealth."
"We are proud to stand with our environmental champions in the legislature and our brothers and sisters in labor to announce a commonsense package designed to lower costs for working families while creating union jobs and ramp up Pennsylvania's clean energy production,” said Katie Blume, political and legislative director of Conservation Voters of PA. “These bills will boost Pennsylvania's economy when Congress is threatening to roll back critical federal programs. This Blue-Green package will help Pennsylvania to chart its own future and to create a 21st century economy powered by clean energy that creates good union jobs, lowers energy costs, and protects our environment."
“The Pennsylvania State Building Trades look forward to working with the Blue-Green coalition on the package of bills they are supporting,” said Robert Bair, president of the Pennsylvania State Building & Construction Trades Council, “Those bills ensure economic development for PA, jobs for my members, and a safe environment for our children. Regardless of what Washington does with legislation, Pennsylvania must continue its leadership in power generation and being safe, responsible stewards of the environment.”
Pennsylvania currently ranks 49th in the country for growth of renewable energy production. At the same time, clean energy job growth is outpacing the job growth of the energy sector as a whole. The industry is also becoming increasingly union-dense, with energy employers with unionized workforces reporting substantially less difficulty hiring workers than non-unionized employers.
“The solar industry in Pennsylvania changed my life; I am a product of the solar energy industry and the opportunity it creates for Keystone ratepayers,” said Justin Mason, director of programs and operations for the Conservative Energy Network. Once I grasped the societal importance that solar plays in continuing our energy legacy of Pennsylvania, my professional life began to have a foundation and take form. The product of my labor was tangible and produced electrons that go back to the grid, powering the lives of others in the immediate community.”
This year’s legislative package is a continuation of work from last year, when the caucus and coalition announced an 11-bill package that would advance energy goals and union job creation. One of the bills in last year’s package, Solar for Schools, passed through both chambers with strong bipartisan support, and recently celebrated its first year of grant recipients.
“This legislative package represents a commonsense approach to deliver energy affordability, grid reliability, and a stronger, safer workforce in Pennsylvania,” said Robert Routh, Pennsylvania policy director at Natural Resources Defense Council. “Together with Governor Shapiro’s Lightning Plan, which is well-tailored to address growing problems caused by PJM, these bills would lay a foundation for a cleaner, more affordable economy for all.”
“We are eager to work with our labor and environmental partners to get this Blue-Green package of legislation passed,” said Jennifer Quinn, political and legislative director of the Sierra Club. “These bills represent not only common ground but also commonsense initiatives for moving Pennsylvania forward. We all want affordable and reliable energy, thriving communities with dependable public transit, and a healthy environment, and these bills take steps towards achieving just that, while ensuring Pennsylvania’s economy continues to grow and create good-paying union jobs.”
“This legislative package would enable Pennsylvania to become leaders in the new clean energy and manufacturing economy, growing high-wage, middle-class trades and factors jobs, and should be embraced enthusiastically by legislators of both parties across the state,” said Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center.
Also in attendance were Angela Ferritto, president of the PA AFL-CIO; Mike Ford, secretary treasurer for the PA State Building & Construction Trades Council; Adam Nagel, director of government affairs for PennFuture; Shannon Crooker, Pennsylvania director of Generation180; and Nate Reagle, clean energy program advocate for Sierra Club PA.
Members in attendance included Rep. Sean Dougherty, D-Phila., Rep. Robert Merski, D-Erie, Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-Lehigh, and Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock, D-Berks.
Today’s news conference can be viewed in its entirety at PRESS CONFERENCE: Blue-Green Caucus Legislative Agenda