By Ed B, IBEW 3rd District

I’ve lived in Pennsylvania my whole life. I grew up in a coal town in Schuylkill County, where that work supported generations and helped power this country. When the mines and garment factories shut down, the town didn’t empty out overnight, but the options did. Good, steady jobs became harder to find close to home.

My wife and I were both still working, but like a lot of families, we commuted more than an hour each way because the work just wasn’t there locally. Those miles add up. They give you plenty of time to think about what it would mean to earn a living without having to leave before dawn or get home after dark.

That’s why solar matters to people like me. Not as a talking point, but as a real chance to bring work back within reach. For years, we’ve been told this next wave of energy jobs would show up for communities like ours. And many union members are still waiting to see that promise become paychecks.

The members I talk to aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re trained. They’re local. They want to build projects in the same places where they raise their kids, care for their parents, and volunteer their time. That kind of connection matters when a project needs community support, because people know who’s actually invested and who’s just passing through.

We’ve seen announcements come and go. We’ve seen projects change hands. We’ve seen outside crews brought in after local workers were told to stand by. That doesn’t just slow things down; it also erodes trust. And in towns that have already watched industries disappear, trust is not something you can afford to waste.

We’re ready for  solar, but in places like ours, solar only works when it’s built the right way by trained, local union workers who are accountable to the community they live in. That’s how projects earn trust, hold together over time, and actually deliver on what they promise.