Labor Day is usually a day to take a moment and appreciate American workers and the great nation they have built. However, as we enter the home stretch of election season, it is also a stark reminder of how much American workers stand to lose.

America’s energy workers have already taken four years of hits from the Biden Administration, and a Harris-Walz Administration will be even more damaging. America’s oil and natural gas industries support nearly 11 million jobs earning $87 billion in income. But, if extreme “green” politicians like Harris have their way, many of those jobs will go away.

And, just like renewable energy doesn’t match up against traditional energy sources to power our grid, renewable jobs don’t match up against oil and gas jobs. A July 2020 study by North America’s Building Trades Unions, found that oil and gas jobs “have better wages, benefits and opportunities than renewables projects.” They estimated that many union members would take a 50% or 75% pay cut if they changed jobs into the renewable energy industry.

Energy jobs aren’t the only ones at risk from politician’s green schemes. Throughout their term, the Biden-Harris Administration has been exploring mandates to force Americans to drive electric vehicles (EVs). Beyond the expensive and unreliable drawbacks of EVs for the consumer, one study determined that an EV mandate could cost 117,000 auto manufacturing jobs in the U.S. And, our loss would be China’s gain as that country already has a near monopoly on the supply and processing of materials necessary to build EV batteries.

At TEA, we would like to keep Labor Day as a celebration of the American worker and the great things they build. But, if green-at-any-cost politicians have their way, this holiday could become a day of mourning for all the jobs we’ve lost. That’s why we must keep fighting for American energy and the workers that produce it.

For more information about the affordable, reliable and clean energy plan that fuels America and its jobs, check out TEA’s Energy Security ARC.