The Herald Times published an article today noting Rep. Hill's key role shaping in energy legislation as a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. An excerpt:
The phone is ringing in U.S. Rep. Baron Hill’s office. Hoosiers are making clear their concerns about a federal energy bill that is being drafted.
"We’ve gotten a pretty good steady stream of calls," Hill staffer Katie Moreau said from his D.C. office.
Several national energy groups and workers unions have launched advertising campaigns in southern Indiana, calling attention to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, now being debated by federal lawmakers.
The draft of the legislation states the act will create millions of clean energy jobs, cut global warming pollution, lowers consumers’ energy costs and enhance the country’s energy independence.
The article also notes that America's Building Trades Unions are running TV ads in Rep. Hill's district urging people to contact the congressman and ask him to support a comprehensive clean energy plan.
When people talk about green jobs, [Tom Owens, spokesman for the Building Trades] said, they’re talking about construction jobs.
Owens points out that several countries — Germany, for example — are ahead of the U.S. when it comes to wind and solar energy. And Owens fears that while the idea hasn’t been spoken aloud, manufacturing could be sent overseas to places with established factories and workers who know how to build windmills and so on.
One windmill calls for more than 1,000 separate steel components, he said. If the bill is "done right," those steel parts would be manufactured in the states. “We want to get people into careers," Owens said.
Click here to view the Building Trades' TV ad.
