Industrious Labs
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
📤 480
📥 69
📝 168
https://linktr.ee/industriouslabs
https://industriouslabs.org/
pinned post!
Join us to explore the Industrial Equity Mapper! 📊 🗓 2/19 ⏰ 1pm PT / 4pm ET Learn how to leverage rigorous data + powerful community stories that document the health and economic realities that people living near industrial facilities face.
us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
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Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Explore the Industrial Equity Mapper. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
We’re currently witnessing growing efforts to suppress information about how industrial pollution affects real people and real communities. Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7HP3J-gjRFCzEpsNavP-qA#/registration
about 1 month ago
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“There seems to be bipartisan interest in reshoring and revitalizing the aluminum industry. But unless action is taken to support electricity for heavy industry, it’s not going to be able to compete.”
@anniesartor.bsky.social
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
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E&E News: Heavy industry competes with AI for grid access
The sale of a Kentucky aluminum smelter to a data center shows the race for cheap power.
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2026/02/20/heavy-industry-competes-with-ai-for-grid-access-00781695
22 days ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Brendan Pierpont
26 days ago
Great stuff from
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
on rate design solutions to encourage electrification of industry in California.
industriouslabs.org/archive/unlo...
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Unlocking industrial electrification in California
A new study finds that California can achieve cleaner air, lower utility bills, and fewer climate emissions by modernizing the design of electricity rates.
https://industriouslabs.org/archive/unlocking-industrial-electrification-in-california
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An AI-generated flood of comments killed clean air rules in SoCal that would have expanded pollution-free heat pumps. This manipulation of the public process is "deeply disturbing" and undermines legitimate democratic participation as the region considers 1146/1146.1.
www.latimes.com/environment/...
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Southern California air board rejected pollution rules after AI-generated flood of comments
SoCal’s pollution authority scrapped a plan to phase out gas-powered appliances after receiving more than 20,000 emails sent by an AI-powered platform called CiviClick.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-02-17/ai-powered-campaign-may-have-killed-key-vote-on-air-quality
25 days ago
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Community concerns like these underscore a key lesson: any new industrial facility must be as clean and community-informed as possible. Clean production and strong community benefits agreements aren’t just good PR — they’re how projects earn trust and long-term success.
www.fox23.com/news/inola-r...
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Inola residents concerned about proposed aluminum smelter, citing environment and health risks
Some Inola residents are raising concerns about a proposed aluminum smelter planned for the area, citing potential environmental and health risks.
https://www.fox23.com/news/inola-residents-concerned-about-proposed-aluminum-smelter-citing-environment-and-health-risks/article_b275d921-ace7-4897-886f-f0926014ff65.html
26 days ago
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"We waited too long to build out our clean energy. We've got an aging fleet of coal-fired power plants, an aging grid, and we need projects to help with the investments." -Lane Boldman, Executive Director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee.
www.theedgebereaky.com/coal-country...
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Coal country: too costly for factories, just right for data centers
Kentucky's lost smelter opportunity shows how reliance on fossil fuel repels new jobs, attracts big servers and secret deals in the high tech race to be the biggest AI company. Is Madison County ready...
https://www.theedgebereaky.com/coal-country-too-costly-for-factories-just-right-for-data-centers/
27 days ago
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Deep dive by
@connorgiffin.bsky.social
reveals a detailed timeline of how Kentucky ultimately missed out on the chance to host the country's first aluminum smelter in over 45 years. "We should have no trouble in getting a project like this. And yet we did."
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...
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How plans for a first-of-its-kind Kentucky aluminum smelter fell apart
Kentucky lost a multibillion-dollar aluminum smelter project and 1,000 jobs to Oklahoma, despite state efforts. It could be a sign of future challenges for Kentucky's economic development.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2026/02/11/kentucky-aluminum-smelter-project-oklahoma-beshear/74971355007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=undefined&gca-ft=0&gca-ds=sophi
28 days ago
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Join us to explore the Industrial Equity Mapper! 📊 🗓 2/19 ⏰ 1pm PT / 4pm ET Learn how to leverage rigorous data + powerful community stories that document the health and economic realities that people living near industrial facilities face.
us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
loading . . .
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Explore the Industrial Equity Mapper. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
We’re currently witnessing growing efforts to suppress information about how industrial pollution affects real people and real communities. Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7HP3J-gjRFCzEpsNavP-qA#/registration
about 1 month ago
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Lane Boldman of the Kentucky Conservation Committee frames Kentucky’s loss of the new aluminum smelter as both a warning sign and a call to modernize the state’s energy system so it can compete for the next major industrial investment.
www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...
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Loss of green smelter highlights Kentucky’s need for clean electricity
Century Aluminum chose Oklahoma, not Kentucky, for a new smelter. Some say it’s a "wake-up call" for the Bluegrass State to modernize – and decarbonize –…
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-aluminum/loss-green-smelter-highlights-kentuckys-need
about 1 month ago
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“It’s been a huge barrier to electrification for manufacturers.” says Teresa Cheng of
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
. Even as surplus solar power grows, businesses face high electricity costs and demand charges. New industrial rate designs could change that.
www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...
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California has abundant solar power. Here’s how factories can use it.
High electricity costs in California have slowed industrial decarbonization in the state. New industrial rates and other fixes could change that, experts…
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy-manufacturing/california-abundant-solar-power-factories
about 1 month ago
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This week made it plain: data centers are beating heavy industry in the fight for power. Century Aluminum just sold its Hawesville smelter site to a data center: proof that in today’s economy, whoever can pay more for electricity wins.
www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...
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Another data center project is coming to Kentucky. What to know
A long-idle industrial site in Hancock County will be redeveloped into a data center campus, according to the company that owned the land.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2026/02/02/hancock-county-aluminum-smelter-to-become-data-center/88482507007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z11xx60p119850c119850v11xx60d--xx--b--xx--&gca-ft=69&gca-ds=sophi
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Joe Sonka 😐
about 2 months ago
Kentucky passed over for big aluminum smelter project, which is going to Oklahoma
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Kentucky passed over for massive, 1,000-job aluminum smelter project
A giant aluminum smelter development, which at one time was considering a site in northeast Kentucky, will instead be built in Oklahoma.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2026/01/26/century-aluminum-smelter-project-goes-to-oklahoma-not-kentucky/88365223007/
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“But the bottom line was that aluminum is a heavy energy user industry, and it really comes down to the price of energy.” Lane Boldman of the Kentucky Conservation Committee is right: Oklahoma's potential to power the smelter w/ clean energy is far more than Kentucky's.
www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
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Cost of power drives aluminum plant from Kentucky to Oklahoma
Kentucky was in line for the first aluminum plant in the country in decades. Instead, the project went to Oklahoma.
https://www.weku.org/the-commonwealth/2026-01-28/cost-of-power-drives-aluminum-plant-from-kentucky-to-oklahoma
about 2 months ago
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Century Aluminum & Emirates Global Aluminium are teaming up on a new aluminum smelter. Huge test of whether the companies can find affordable, clean power fast enough to actually build a low-carbon aluminum backbone in the U.S. ✍🏽
@mariagallucci.bsky.social
www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...
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It takes two aluminum firms to build one power-hungry smelter,…
Century Aluminum was eyeing Kentucky for a new smelter, but in a surprise move says it’s teaming up with Emirates Global Aluminium to build one in…
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-aluminum/two-aluminum-firms-to-build-one-smelter
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
The BlueGreen Alliance
2 months ago
TOMORROW! Join BGA, @repmarcykaptur.bsky.social, @steelworkers.bsky.social & @uaw.org for a webinar on how GOP attacks on manufacturing hurt workers & communities.
https://loom.ly/BzIXaYY
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👷♂️ Dalton Ezell’s op-ed traces his path from the smelter floor to Missouri farm fields, where workers are still getting crushed by a broken power system — coal-fired electricity, rubber‑stamped rate hikes, and false promises that tariffs alone could save jobs.
missouriindependent.com/2025/12/13/h...
3 months ago
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Agricultural worker & former smelter employee Dalton Ezell is sounding the alarm on rising power costs. “The truth is, Missouri’s economy runs on the same current: whether you’re melting metal or tending crops, you need dependable electricity at a fair price.”
missouriindependent.com/2025/12/13/h...
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Energy costs crushed my smelter job and now threaten Missouri farms • Missouri Independent
Whether you’re smelting or farming, you’re fighting the same battle for affordable energy, steady pay and a future worth passing on.
https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/13/how-energy-costs-crushed-my-smelter-job-and-now-threaten-missouri-farms/
3 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Evan
3 months ago
"Let’s stop pretending tariffs will rebuild our economy. The people who power Missouri — on the factory floor and in the fields — know what we really need: investment in affordable, modern energy that lets us work hard, earn fair, and stay rooted right here at home."
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Energy costs crushed my smelter job and now threaten Missouri farms • Missouri Independent
Whether you’re smelting or farming, you’re fighting the same battle for affordable energy, steady pay and a future worth passing on.
https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/13/how-energy-costs-crushed-my-smelter-job-and-now-threaten-missouri-farms/
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Cato Hernandez at
@LAist.com
highlights a new map showing where SoCal’s largest industrial boilers are located — and why advocates want @southcoastqmd to adopt zero-emission rules before we lock in decades more pollution. Read it here:
laist.com/news/climate...
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Battle over industrial boilers gets a new tool that you can use to combat pollution
A new climate coalition is calling on air quality regulators to phase out 1,800 of these boilers at places like schools and hospitals.
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/southern-california-pollution-industrial-boiler-south-coast-aqmd-cfca
3 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Lead the Charge
4 months ago
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
just released a powerful new tool that analyzes health, demographic, economic, and pollution data in communities impacted by industrial pollution across the US.
industriouslabs.org/issues/indus...
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Industrial Equity Mapper
Stories of Industrial Pollution in the U.S.
https://industriouslabs.org/issues/industrial-equity-mapper#/map
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Justin Gerdes
4 months ago
Weekend reading: Learn about a new plan to decarbonize industry in California - responsible for 20% of the state's emissions - in my Q&A with
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
's Teresa Cheng:
www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-h...
🔌💡
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California has a new plan to decarbonize industry
Quitting Carbon checked in with Teresa Cheng, California director at Industrious Labs, to talk about passage of AB 1280 and the race to decarbonize manufacturing in the Golden State.
https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-has-a-new-plan-to-decarbonize-industry/
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Justin Gerdes
4 months ago
ICYMI: Learn about a new plan to decarbonize industry in California - responsible for 20% of the state's emissions - in my Q&A with
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
's Teresa Cheng:
www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-h...
🔌💡
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California has a new plan to decarbonize industry
Quitting Carbon checked in with Teresa Cheng, California director at Industrious Labs, to talk about passage of AB 1280 and the race to decarbonize manufacturing in the Golden State.
https://www.quittingcarbonmedia.com/california-has-a-new-plan-to-decarbonize-industry/
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"The result is a paradox: a country experiencing its highest aluminum demand in modern history, yet unable to supply the metal that underpins the technologies it wants to lead." Read up on AI’s rise and power strains while aluminum fights to stay relevant:
www.alcircle.com/news/ais-pow...
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AI’s power hunger is turning aluminium into America’s new strategic weak spot
The US faces record aluminium demand, but AI’s soaring power consumption is crippling domestic smelters and turning the metal into a strategic weakness.
https://www.alcircle.com/news/ais-power-hunger-is-turning-aluminium-into-americas-new-strategic-weak-spot-116381
4 months ago
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(1/3) When Oklahoma residents were asked why they support Emirates Global Aluminum's potential new
#smelter
in their state, the answer was clear:
#jobs
matter. 👷♂️ This figure shows how those who "support" or "somewhat support" the smelter rated the importance of smelter jobs.
4 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
The BlueGreen Alliance
5 months ago
Balancing the priorities of workers, unions, and environmental advocates creates solutions that protect both people’s wellbeing and the planet. 🤝⚙️ Listen to Dave Foster’s recent podcast feature with #resourcesforthefuture on the founding of BGA here:
https://loom.ly/U3PTdcg
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"Clean power sources can provide substantial pollution reduction benefits whilst supporting community health improvements near production facilities." A good breakdown of the economics of
#aluminum
smelting & the opportunity to re-power with renewables.
discoveryalert.com.au/energy-produ...
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US Aluminium Smelting: How Energy Costs Shape Industry Competitiveness
Explore how US aluminum smelting and energy costs shape America's industrial competitiveness and production viability.
https://discoveryalert.com.au/energy-production-us-aluminum-2025-electricity-economics/
4 months ago
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Oklahoma residents want clean air and healthy environments. New survey data shows some who oppose a new
#aluminum
smelter cite environmental and health concerns. Clean energy and community trust must come first. Read more about the survey from
@anniesartor.bsky.social
:
lnkd.in/gCrSSFzi
4 months ago
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What effects does industrial pollution have on health, the environment, and communities? New data from @industriouslabs Industrial Equity Mapper shows that across 24 regions, 4.7 million people are at higher risk for long term respiratory illness.
industrialequitymapper.org
/1
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Industrial Equity Mapper
Stories of Industrial Pollution in the U.S.
https://industrialequitymapper.org/
5 months ago
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Dalton Ezell spent his adult life working at an aluminum smelter. But with less than a week’s notice, workers lost their jobs, wages, health insurance, and retirement plans when the Magnitude 7 aluminum smelter shut down.
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5 months ago
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Affordable & clean electricity costs are everything for U.S.
#aluminum
. "Addressing energy costs, especially by expanding access to renewables, matters far more for sustaining a healthy domestic industry than tariffs alone.”
@anniesartor.bsky.social
in Fastmarkets:
fastmarkets.com/insights/us-...
5 months ago
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✨Aluminum’s moment may be coming. Electrification is rewriting the metals market, and
#aluminum
may be next in line to surge. The
@wsj.com
reports how demand for lightweight, conductive materials is rising fast as
#cleanenergy
and EV supply chains expand.
www.wsj.com/finance/comm...
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Aluminum Could Become the Next Copper
Demand is set to be boosted by electrification, while supply is constrained by rising power needs.
https://www.wsj.com/finance/commodities-futures/aluminum-could-become-the-next-copper-b64f521f
5 months ago
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@anniesartor.bsky.social
is right: Aluminum is crucial to a zero-carbon future. But we continue to import most of it, often from countries using coal to fire up aluminum smelters. Why not invest in “cleaning up” American supply — and our air?
insideclimatenews.org/news/2709202...
5 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Monica Embrey
5 months ago
Thank you
@governor.ca.gov
for signing
#AB1280
: California Passes Law To Help Modernize Manufacturing in a Win for Jobs and Clean Air “Investing in clean manufacturing is a golden opportunity for California,” - Teresa Cheng,
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
industriouslabs.org/archive/pres...
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Press release: California Passes Law To Help Modernize Manufacturing in a Win for Jobs and Clean Air
Victory — AB 1280 establishes funding mechanism for companies to replace dirty industrial equipment with zero-emissions technologies
https://industriouslabs.org/archive/press-release-california-passes-law-AB1280
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Climate One
5 months ago
Hydrogen: fuel of the future or hype of the past? We dig into the promises & pitfalls of hydrogen as clean energy with Joe Romm
@penncssm.bsky.social
,
@hilarylewis.bsky.social
@industriouslabs.bsky.social
& Eleanor Smith
@tonizhoniani.bsky.social
🎧 Listen now:
listen.climateone.org/z7oIxKJV?sid...
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
The BlueGreen Alliance
5 months ago
We fall in love with
#cleanenergy
every time. We shouldn't have to choose between good jobs and a clean environment. We really do deserve it all.
#bluegreenalliance
#unionjobs
#climateequity
#frontlinecommunities
#TrumpSlump
#manufacturingjobs
#cleaneconomy
#workerrights
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Energy access is at the heart of the U.S.
#aluminum
industry crisis. Without clean, affordable power, we’re not just losing smelters — we’re losing good union jobs like Dalton’s. His story in
@thehill.com
:
thehill.com/opinion/5524...
5 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Evan
5 months ago
Great news: The EPA is withdrawing its proposal to delay the implementation of hazardous air pollutant standards for coke ovens. Very good news for breathers in steel communities. It's nice to win!
www.epa.gov/system/files...
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https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-10/san-8471.1_cokeovens_ifr_withdrawal_20250924_sppd.october3.pdf
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Evan
5 months ago
No-so-fun fact: California operates some of the dirtiest cement plants in the world. Via GEI and ClimateWorks ...
www.climateworks.org/wp-content/u...
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Evan
5 months ago
Gov signed our bill. 👍👍👍
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
The BlueGreen Alliance
5 months ago
Under Trump’s leadership, primary
#aluminum
smelters closing in the U.S. Good-paying union jobs are at risk and middle-class families can’t keep up with rising power prices if they’re out of work. Read Dalton Ezell’s experience here:
loom.ly/zKz1UTU
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
IBEW Ninth District
5 months ago
GOOD NEWS!
@cagovernornewsom.bsky.social
@gavinnewsom.bsky.social
signed AB 1280 into law last night! This is a huge step forward for a clean industrial sector built on good union jobs, and we value his support.
#IBEW
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Right To Zero
5 months ago
GOOD NEWS:
@governor.ca.gov
just signed
#AB1280
, which will help California manufacturers shift to zero-emissions equipment like heat pumps!
earthjustice.org/press/2025/c...
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From soda cans to EV batteries,
#aluminum
is everywhere in daily life. The difference is whether those products support good American jobs and climate progress or reinforce old, polluting supply chains. And the bulk of those emissions come from
#electricity
. More👇🏽
www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...
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Chart: Aluminum has a big CO2 problem. Here’s how to clean it up
To hit global climate goals, carbon emissions from aluminum production have to drop 92 percent by 2050. Step one? Building a ton of clean energy.
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-industry/chart-aluminum-has-a-big-co2-problem-heres-how-to-clean-it-up
5 months ago
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Mike Mendoza, Business Manager of IBEW Local 684 (
@ibew-9th.bsky.social
), makes the case for why investing in clean manufacturing is a win-win for the Central Valley. By signing AB1280,
@cagovernornewsom.bsky.social
can secure good-paying, skilled jobs for our communities.
sjvsun.com/view/moderni...
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Modernizing the Central Valley manufacturing sector is a win for good jobs, public health, and the economy
Assembly Bill 1280 offers the Central Valley a rare chance to retain high-value industrial jobs and operators while delivering on clean energy goals, writes IBEW's Mike Mendoza.
https://sjvsun.com/view/modernizing-the-central-valley-manufacturing-sector-is-a-win-for-good-jobs-public-health-and-the-economy/
5 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Canary Media Inc.
6 months ago
A billion dollars’ worth of aluminum cans end up in U.S. landfills every year. With producers looking to curb their emissions and tariffs raising the price of virgin materials, that trash has never been more valuable.
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Trump’s tariffs spur US aluminum industry to boost recycling
Producers were already looking to recycled aluminum to help lower carbon emissions. Now, under Trump’s trade policy, demand for scrap is even higher.
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-aluminum/trump-tariffs-spur-metal-recycling
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EV, packaging, construction, solar, and many other companies are "sourcing more of the relatively clean material as they work to reduce carbon emissions from their own supply chains."
@mariagallucci.bsky.social
reports on increased demand for scrap
#aluminum
.
www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...
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Trump’s tariffs spur US aluminum industry to boost recycling
Producers were already looking to recycled aluminum to help lower carbon emissions. Now, under Trump’s trade policy, demand for scrap is even higher.
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-aluminum/trump-tariffs-spur-metal-recycling
6 months ago
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Evan
6 months ago
"Tariffs did not save my job, and they won’t save the future of this industry. What will is real investment in affordable, renewable-powered production that gives American aluminum a fighting chance to compete."
thehill.com/opinion/5524...
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https://thehill.com/opinion/5524267-aluminum-smelters-future-america/
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reposted by
Industrious Labs
Todd Tucker
6 months ago
Aluminum worker: tariffs helped "to bring the industry back from the brink. And that helped in the reopening of the former Noranda aluminum smelter. But without tackling the real problem — the crushing cost of electricity to run a smelter — tariffs alone will not cut it."
thehill.com/opinion/5524...
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Former Magnitude 7 Metals worker Dalton Ezell shares in
@thehill.com
how the plant closure upended lives in Missouri — calling on America to invest in clean energy and
#aluminum
jobs to rebuild communities, support families, and secure manufacturing’s future.
thehill.com/opinion/5524...
6 months ago
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From tortilla chips to toilet paper, outdated industrial equipment is quietly driving major climate and air pollution in California. A must-read op-ed by us and SMART Local 104 in
@sacbee.com
explains why
#AB1280
matters now:
www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-e...
@governor.ca.gov
6 months ago
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‼️ A former
#aluminum
smelter worker's voice, front and center: Dalton Ezell’s op-ed in
@thehill.com
spotlights the human side of plant closures and what a reinvested, modern aluminum industry could mean for local communities: Check out this must-read piece:
thehill.com/opinion/5524...
6 months ago
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