Clean energy is about more than carbon. It’s about people. And the NRDC Action Fund is here to make sure their voices are heard.
On July 4, President Trump signed into law a bill that may come to be known as the Big Beautiful Blackout Bill—a sweeping repeal of clean energy investments that will raise electricity bills for families across America, kill good-paying jobs, and worsen air pollution.
“The new law will force the biggest utility bill increase in history, kill jobs, and deter the fastest-growing segment of the energy economy, all to fund tax cuts for America’s billionaires,” said Manish Bapna, NRDC Action Fund president. “People are going to be furious when they are stuck holding the bill for these handouts to powerful polluters and special interests—and the corruption becomes crystal clear. “
This is more than a policy setback. It’s a personal loss for thousands of electricians, factory workers, small businesses, and rural families who were experiencing the benefits of a clean energy economy. That’s why the NRDC Action Fund is launching a seven-figure accountability campaign to ensure constituents know who stood up for them—and who sided with billionaire tax breaks.
Ohio: A life changed, a future at risk
Greg Bambenek, an electrician from Stark County, Ohio, found steady work thanks to clean energy projects. “Now that there are opportunities here, it’s been life-changing,” Bambenek says in one of our new ads. “That can really help bring a family together.”
As we showed in our previous campaign, Bambenek’s story is about more than a paycheck. It’s about stability. It’s about staying close to home, being part of your children’s lives, investing in your community, and building a future. But Senator Jon Husted of Ohio voted for the Blackout Bill, threatening those jobs and pushing up energy costs for families by hundreds of dollars each year.
Senator Husted voted to slash the very investments that made Bambenek’s new life possible.
“Our money stays here, which continues to grow our community,” Bambenek says. “Why would we want to turn out the lights on that?”
PA-07: Jobs and affordability on the line in the Lehigh Valley
Once a manufacturing powerhouse, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley has weathered decades of economic decline. As traditional industries shuttered, too many communities were left behind—facing higher unemployment, lower wages, and rising energy costs. Clean energy investments have offered a path forward, supporting more than 11,000 local jobs and helping households save an average of $400–$500 a year through expanded energy efficiency programs and solar access. Electrician Erik Hann highlights the stakes for union workers but Representative Ryan Mackenzie’s vote to slash these investments puts these livelihoods and savings at risk.
In Pennsylvania’s seventh congressional district, the story is similar. Hann speaks to the promise of clean energy projects like those at Mack Trucks in the Lehigh Valley, where millions of dollars are being invested to build zero-emission vehicles.
“To have a long-term job close to home for a lot of our members is very important,” Hann says.
PA-10: Progress and savings under threat in central Pennsylvania
From dairy farm solar to electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing at Harley-Davidson, clean energy investments have fueled new jobs and local savings. Representative Scott Perry’s support for the rollback imperils those gains and threatens to drive household energy bills up by $130–$160 a year across Pennsylvania.
In central Pennsylvania, these investments have been a bright spot in an economy still grappling with industrial decline, stagnant wages, and aging infrastructure. Projects like rooftop solar on dairy farms and battery systems at manufacturing hubs have helped lower energy costs and created new pathways for skilled union labor. At Harley-Davidson’s York facility, federal grants have supported a transition toward EV manufacturing, bringing both innovation and jobs to the region.
Hann puts it plainly: “We drive down the road, and we pass a project that I was a part of. There’s a sense of pride in that, and that’s important.”
But Perry’s vote threatens to stop all of it—the jobs, the savings, the momentum. “This is about more than energy,” Hann says. “It’s about the future of our community.”
Bambenek, Hann, and the more than 850,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represent the engine of America’s clean energy transition. Together with groups like the NRDC Action Fund, they’ve been building toward a future where working people power economic growth, grid modernization, and climate solutions from the ground up.
That’s why IBEW didn’t mince words when the Blackout Bill passed: They called it a “direct attack” on the country’s energy future. In their view, it stops “the progress the country has made in clean energy technology and manufacturing, weakening our economic competitiveness” that was achieved under the Inflation Reduction Act.
These aren’t just warnings—they reflect what workers like Bambenek and Hann know firsthand. Clean energy brought steady jobs close to home and helped lower energy bills. Now, those gains are on the line. What’s at risk is the real progress they helped build: local jobs, affordable power, and a better future for their families.
The Blackout Bill is a betrayal of American workers and the progress we’ve made together. But this fight isn’t over. The NRDC Action Fund stands with these organizations, communities, and—most important—people. We’re holding lawmakers accountable because this fight isn’t just about energy policy; it’s about protecting a better future that workers, families, and communities have been building together.
