Garamendi Demands Trump Stop Abandoning America’s Energy Workers

WASHINGTON, DC - This week, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-08), along with Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01), demanded that the Trump Administration immediately reverse course on actions that jeopardize safety, environmental health, and labor protections for energy workers and the communities where they live.

The full text can be found HERE.

"America cannot be energy independent without the workers who power it, yet Donald Trump is proving he'd rather side with corporations than the working class. Energy workers risk their lives every day, and their communities depend on strong protections for their health and safety," said Congressman Garamendi. "Instead of strengthening these safeguards, Trump is tearing them down, putting workers, their families, and entire communities in danger. In my district alone, multiple refinery fires have already threatened lives, and his rollbacks make future disasters even more likely. Trump likes to call himself a friend of the working class, but if he truly cares, he should reverse course and stand with the energy workers who keep America running."

"President Trump's reckless agenda of defunding and deregulating federal agencies tasked with keeping Americans safe on the job is another reason his Administration is the most anti-worker administration since the Gilded Age. I am proud to join this effort with Congressman Garamendi to call on the President to reverse these policies that threaten the health and safety of workers and their communities across the country," said Congressman DeSaulnier.

"These jobs are tough and often dangerous. Workers deserve strong protections so they can do their jobs safely, come home to their families, and know they're shielded from sickness and injury. We're fighting to make sure workers and their communities have the safeguards they need." said Congressman Landsman.

"Thousands of USW members proudly serve their communities, helping our nation meet its energy needs," said USW International President David McCall. "These vital workers, like all workers, deserve to remain safe on the job. Yet, the Trump administration's continuing assault on the agencies tasked with upholding workers' rights and maintaining workplace health and safety demonstrates a profound disrespect for energy workers and their security. We commend Rep. Garamendi for his efforts to shine a light on this crucial issue as we fight to keep energy workers safe and healthy."

"American energy workers are powering our homes, fueling our economy, and bolstering our country's energy independence," said Jason Walsh, BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director. "But with the inherent dangers of this work-to both workers and communities-we have a responsibility to put strong, enforceable protections in place so that every worker can go home safe at the end of the day. The right to organize and bargain cannot be optional-unions save lives and they are essential to securing the standards this critical industry deserves."

"Workplace protections have never been sufficient to protect coal miners from harm. Today, thousands of miners still suffer from black lung disease, a debilitating and deadly disease caused by overexposure to coal and rock dust during their careers," said the Appalachian Citizens Law Center. "And yet, rather than address this occupational epidemic, the Trump Administration has been gutting the institutions that enforce health and safety measures in coal mines, develop new technology and processes to make coal mines safer, and help take care of miners once they are sick. Miners and their families deserve better. We're grateful for members of Congress, like Representatives Garamendi, DeSaulnier, and Landsman, who are demanding explanations for these shameful actions."

"The science is clear that workplace protections for energy workers are crucial to limit their exposure to harmful and dangerous conditions and could even be lifesaving," said Chitra Kumar, former EPA EJ official and Climate and Energy Managing Director, Union of Concerned Scientists. "Just as low-income and communities of color are disproportionately exposed to toxic chemical facilities and polluting coal, oil and gas operations, workers in these industries also face serious health risks on the job. This administration's disregard for workers who have served the country's energy needs is on full display with the sweeping cuts to agency budgets and worker protection programs."

Energy jobs-from oil and gas to coal and chemical refining-are often hazardous, and workers deserve strong safeguards. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has repeatedly taken steps that weaken these protections, including:

• Slashing funding and operations at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including ending black lung diagnostic services for coal miners.
• Attempting to dissolve the Chemical Safety Board, which investigates major industrial accidents.
• Curtailing OSHA's authority to enforce workplace protections in high-risk industries.
• Issuing Clean Air Act waivers to refineries and coal plants on "national security" grounds, bypassing health standards, defunding EPA environmental justice programs, and cutting agency staff.
• Undermining the National Labor Relations Board, leaving it largely unable to operate.

The letter is endorsed by the United Steelworkers Union, the BlueGreen Alliance, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Appalachian Citizens Law Center.

This letter was also signed by Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Frank Mrvan (IN-01), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Darren Soto (FL-09), Sam Liccardo (CA-16).

###