North Carolinians to Tillis: Support NC clean energy jobs, not out-of-state oil companies
NCLCV launched digital and radio spots
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Today the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters launched a $90,000 radio buy in the Charlotte media market and a $12,000 statewide digital campaign for a week of ads, calling on voters to contact their U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and tell him to support homegrown clean energy jobs in North Carolina during the Congressional negotiations over the next COVID-19 relief bill, instead of backing big oil companies in Texas or dirty coal companies in Kentucky.
In April, Tillis sent Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell a letter urging them to bail out fossil fuel companies with CARES Act funds. As a result, several major out-of-state oil companies with ties to President Trump got millions in bailouts earmarked for small businesses.
Tillis never mentioned North Carolina’s vibrant clean energy economy, which supports over 112,000 good-paying jobs (PDF) in the Tar Heel State and which has installed the second-highest solar capacity of any state in the country. The state’s clean energy employment grew almost twice as fast as the overall workforce in recent years, but the industry shed at least 26,000 jobs in March and April alone.
“If he thinks out-of-state oil giants deserve our tax dollars more than small business job creators right here in North Carolina, Sen. Tillis has his priorities backwards,” said Carrie Clark, NCLCV executive director. “We’re calling on him to do his job and support the hard-working North Carolinians who are hurting more than ever. We need to keep growing our clean energy economy to tackle the climate crisis, the economic crisis, and improve the quality of the air we breathe. When Congress passes this coronavirus bill, we need to invest in clean energy jobs, not polluting Texas oil companies or dirty Kentucky coal companies.”
A recording of the radio spot can be found here. The script is below:
For years, the clean energy industry has been one of the fastest-growing job creators in North Carolina. But since COVID-19, over 26,000 jobs have been lost. Instead of helping us, Sen. Thom Tillis says out-of-state oil, coal, and gas companies deserve another bailout. Call Sen. Tillis at 202-224-3121 to tell him to support clean energy jobs here, not big oil companies in Texas.
Tell Tillis to support North Carolina clean energy jobs, not out-of-state oil giants!
