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The loss of fossil fuel industry jobs was Republican members’ rallying cry at a climate hearing in the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee. Environmental and Climate Subcommittee Chair Paul Tonko (D-NY) held the Feb. 9 hearing to propel President Joe Biden’s executive orders to decarbonize the economy by 2050 and create millions of new jobs.

There is no solar or wind energy manufacturing in Kentucky, Wyoming or West Virginia, Rep. David McKinley (R-W. VA) said of the push to increase renewable resources, build a clean energy system by 2035 and net zero economy by mid-century. Left behind are people in small towns, who become underemployed, or have to commute hundreds of miles or relocate for new jobs, McKinley warned.

“We understand we can’t leave anyone behind,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) responded.

Pallone pointed out that Biden was establishing an interagency working group on coal and power plant communities that “will play an important role in fostering economic revitalization for communities undergoing energy transitions.”

Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) acknowledged the tension from the transition of moving to a decarbonized economy but said it is creating positive growth. “I believe American innovation will open up tremendous opportunities,” he said.

Rep. Tonko and some testifying witnesses stressed that tackling ever-worsening climate change, with sound science center stage, was a political and moral imperative.

“We must recognize that investing in climate action not only reduces emissions but is critical to economic recovery--creating millions of good jobs, addressing historic environmental injustice, and setting the country up for a successful transition to a 100% clean future,” Christy Goldfuss, the Center for American Progress vice president, told the committee.

10 million new jobs

Biden’s proposed $2 trillion in climate investments is projected to create as many as 10 million well-paying jobs in the U.S. The president also plans to dedicate 40% of the investments to poor, polluted communities.

Environmental injustices “need bold action, particularly to make up for decades of federal inaction that has permitted industry to pollute without repercussions,” Kerene Tayloe, We Act for Environmental Justice executive director, said. Biden’s measures are one of many needed actions, which include the passage of two bills ameliorating the impacts of environmental racism.

Several Republican representatives did not acknowledge the community assistance or job creation prospects of Biden’s plan. Instead, they zeroed in on job losses in their communities and the costs of a clean energy system.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) objected to “nationalizing” California’s clean energy policies, adding that the high utility bills from a renewable grid will harm vulnerable customers.

Rep. John Sarbanes (D- MD) countered that his objecting colleagues put “special interests ahead of community interests.”

Advancing American Made

There was a big emphasis during the hearing on ensuring that infrastructure investments are made using U.S. products and workers.

“Buying American is a commonsense way to show federal leadership and address some potential jobs and emissions leakage,” Anna Fendley, United Steelworkers’ director of regulatory policy said. “It only makes sense that if America is going to undertake such a massive effort, our procurement policies must work in concert with our energy and environmental priorities.”

Fendley also noted that fossil fuel workers can be employed at retooled fossil plants.

Mark Mills, The Manhattan Institute senior fellow, however, warned that attaining a clean energy standard by 2035 will not benefit the American economy. He said China makes most of the solar panels used in the U.S. and Asian companies dominate wind and global battery production. “Even if we expand domestic manufacturing, our import dependencies remain for critical energy minerals,” he added.

Mills and other noted the large and growing impact of climate pollution from the growing use of plastics. Petrochemical industries are sited largely in communities of color.