New York can lower energy costs and create good union jobs. It should do both.
Every New Yorker benefits when energy is affordable and people are working. Those are not competing priorities—they are the foundation of a strong economy. After years of treating them as if they were in conflict, Albany must recognize that building a stronger economy and pursuing an ambitious climate agenda requires a more practical, all-of-the-above approach.
New York has already begun moving in that direction. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s successful effort to make targeted changes to the state’s climate law acknowledged what working families have known for years: energy policy has to work in the real world. Affordability and reliability cannot be afterthoughts. They have to be part of the plan.
Now comes the next test.
If New York is serious about an all-of-the-above energy strategy, it should support projects like the Constitution Pipeline. This project represents exactly the kind of practical infrastructure investment that can help reduce energy costs, strengthen reliability and create thousands of good-paying union jobs at the same time.
For too long, the Northeast has treated energy infrastructure as something to oppose rather than something to build. Meanwhile, families and businesses have paid the price through higher energy costs and greater uncertainty.
As Regional Manager for the Laborers’ International Union of North America, I represent thousands of skilled men and women across New York and New England who build the infrastructure our communities depend on every day. They understand something that too often gets lost in political debates: infrastructure isn’t an abstract policy discussion. It’s how we keep our economy moving, our communities growing and our energy system functioning.
Projects like the Constitution Pipeline don’t force New York to abandon its climate goals. They acknowledge the reality that the transition to a cleaner energy future still requires reliable infrastructure today. An all-of-the-above strategy means investing in renewable energy, modernizing the electric grid, expanding new technologies and ensuring families and employers have access to reliable, affordable energy while that transition continues.
Just as importantly, these projects create opportunity.
Every major infrastructure project supports family-sustaining careers for union workers who earn good wages, receive quality health care and retire with secure pensions. These are careers that allow workers to buy homes, raise families and invest in their communities. They create apprenticeship opportunities for the next generation and support local businesses that benefit from major construction projects.
New York cannot afford to keep saying no to projects that create thousands of family-sustaining jobs. The governor recently imposed a one-year pause on permitting new data centers while the state develops a broader strategy. Whatever one thinks of that decision, it undeniably delays construction work and the economic activity that comes with it. At a time when New York is putting some major projects on hold, it is even more important to move forward with others that are ready to create jobs today. The Constitution Pipeline is one of them.
When New York isn’t building, New Yorkers aren’t working.
Too often, debates about energy policy overlook the people whose livelihoods are directly affected by the decisions made in Albany. For construction workers, these aren’t theoretical conversations. They determine whether the next generation will have the opportunity to build a career in the skilled trades while strengthening the infrastructure our region needs.
New Yorkers deserve a different approach.
The conversation has rightly shifted toward affordability, reliability and economic opportunity. That’s progress. But those priorities have to be reflected in the decisions we make. Supporting practical infrastructure projects that strengthen our energy system, create thousands of union jobs and help deliver lower-cost energy to consumers is exactly what an all-of-the-above strategy looks like.
New York doesn’t have to choose between economic growth and responsible energy policy. It can build a future that delivers affordable energy, supports good union jobs and gives working families the stability they deserve. Projects like the Constitution Pipeline are an opportunity to prove it.
Donato A. Bianco Jr. is Vice President and New England Regional Manager for the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA).
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