Oceantic Statement: Senate’s Reconciliation Backtrack Raises Prices, Removes Jobs

The Senate unveiled its latest reconciliation text, which maintains dramatic cuts to key provisions of the Investment Reduction Act (IRA) designed to bolster American manufacturing, and additional technology-specific tax penalties. In response, Oceantic Network has released the following statement: 

“The proposed Senate package raises prices on everyday Americans, weakens our economy, and attacks American jobs in our shipbuilding, maritime and steel industries,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of Oceantic Network.  

“In an era where a diverse, ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy is widely acknowledged as the best path to mitigating skyrocketing electricity demand and matching Chinese AI ascendancy, the proposed legislation intentionally makes it harder to bring new power online.  

“American mariners and skilled union laborers are actively installing 6 GW of new power generation – enough to power millions of homes – using components made in American factories aboard newly manufactured American vessels. Even more projects are ready to follow. This is what American energy dominance should be embracing. The Senate promised a course-correction; instead offered a bill that is overall just as harsh as the House counterpart, and will only stall needed energy generation, depress job creation, and raise electricity prices for American ratepayers. 

Oceantic Network and its members—welders, engineers, mariners, and factory workers from 40 states—stand ready to power this nation. We call on Congress to stand with them, not against them.” 

Oceantic Network | https://oceantic.org/