Tune in Saturday to hear NE Boilermakers highlight CCUS on talk radio

Several Northeast Area Boilermakers are taking a shift on Philadelphia WPHT 1210-AM talk radio to highlight the benefits of carbon, capture, use and storage and also discuss problems with the Green New Deal. The group will appear on “Saturday Night Live with Philly Labor” hosted by Joe Dougherty and Joe Krause on Saturday, Sept. 19. from 6 to 7 p.m. ET. The show highlights union concerns for Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware and streams online.

The Boilermakers’ appearance on the show came about after Local 13 (Philadelphia) BM-ST John Bland “raised some serious concerns” on the radio about the Green New Deal. “After that show, Joe Dougherty called and said he’d like to do a whole show” on the topic of energy solutions, Bland said.

One of Bland’s concerns is the current polarization between various energy and scientific sectors. People aren’t talking to one another to address the multitude of concerns about climate change.

“When did environmentalists, engineers and unions stop working together? In the late ’70s we had acid rain, and we got together and we fixed it,” he said. “Now we’re in the 2000s, and one side is saying ‘shut it down’ and another is backing them up.”

Local 28 (Newark, New Jersey) BM-ST Jim Chew also hopes their appearance on the show “gets our message out about ‘green energy’ such as solar and wind. It’s not as green as [the industry] wants us to believe,” he said.

Bland, Chew and Pittsburg Local 154’s Shawn Steffee plan to present the case for CCUS. Since listeners can access the station over the Internet, they hope to reach a local, regional and national audience to influence lawmakers, union leaders and the general public about a climate change solution that doesn’t get as much play in the media as solar- and wind-powered energy.

“Gas and coal bring reliability,” Chew said. “And without the reliability of the fossil fuel industry, we’re heading down a dark path.”