Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey visited Boston Local 103's training center in November to sign a clean energy bill into law. The landmark legislation will lower costs and support good-paying jobs while keeping the state at the forefront in the fight against climate change.

And for the first time in recent memory, the law recognizes that nuclear has a big role in the transition to clean energy.

The governor also met with a group of second-year apprentices during her visit. Securing the bill's passage was a priority for the IBEW and particularly the Second District, which includes the six New England states.

"Gov. Healey is a friend of the IBEW in Massachusetts," said Second District International Representative Dave Keating, who worked with legislators and other unions to get the bill passed. "When she said she wanted to do this at 103 and its JATC, we were excited about it."

All the IBEW's local unions with jurisdiction in Massachusetts endorsed Healey, a former Massachusetts attorney general and pro basketball player, when she ran for governor in 2022.

Business Manager Lou Antonellis, who has formed a close working relationship with her administration, was especially pleased that she took time to meet with the apprentices.

"She likes everything that Local 103 and the IBEW stand for," Antonellis said. "We're creating job opportunities for people that might not have had opportunities in the trades. I think that means a lot to her."

Keating said IBEW members working in the state will benefit most from a provision in the bill that streamlines siting and permitting for clean energy projects, addressing a long-running issue for the industry.

Municipalities will be required to issue a siting permit within 12 months for smaller projects and within 15 months for larger ones. The state's Department of Natural Resources will develop standards to ensure that clean energy materials are being used.

In the past, projects that could have provided jobs with good-paying wages often were slowed to the point where they never got off the ground, Keating said.

"It's been a problem forever," he said. "Federal money was coming in, programs were being announced, and a lot of them would never come to fruition."

The legislation contains provisions to boost battery storage and improve the state's electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The IBEW has been a leader across the country in training electricians to construct EV charging stations.

It also allows the state's utilities to reach agreements with the two remaining nuclear plants in New England — one in Connecticut, the other in New Hampshire. Political observers in the state view that as recognition that nuclear is needed for Massachusetts to meet its aggressive climate change goals, especially with offshore wind projects struggling to get off the ground.

It's a stance that largely mirrors the IBEW's position nationally: Nuclear energy is a safe, viable alternative helping states and municipalities transition to clean energy.

Applicants for projects will be given added weight if they agree to meet prevailing wage standards and have a history of participating in state or federal certified apprenticeship programs — a win for the IBEW and other construction unions, and a win for communities depending on projects to be done on time by workers who live in the area.

The new law also creates a commission to study the impact the clean energy transition has on the state's fossil fuel workers and help those affected by it. The commission will have at least six labor representatives.

"It really is a historic bill," Keating said. "Things like prevailing wage and right to first bid based on registered apprenticeship programs are a boost to union labor. It's good for our members and ensures the work is done at the highest quality, which is good for taxpayers throughout the state."

Boston Local 104 Business Manager Brian Murphy welcomed the news. Local 104 represents utility and outside construction workers in five New England states. Clean energy projects almost always guarantee that more work will be available for them, he said.

"There are going to be new transformers, new secondary [energy sources] being built and new poles being installed," Murphy said. "I see a ton of work coming out of that.

"If it's windmills in the ocean, or it's solar panels, or whatever the clean energy source, it has to go from there to the stations and substations and into people's homes," he added. "There's more than one piece to that, and that's where we come in."

Worcester Local 96 is an inside local, and Business Manager Jim Arthur said he is pleased by the streamlining of the sitting process and the bill's provisions that recognize the importance of skilled apprenticeship programs. Requiring registration with the state could lead to increased wages for most apprentices, he said.

"As a former training director, I think those things are important," Arthur said. "At some other places [besides the IBEW], they talk about the importance of the apprenticeship program but fail to register with the state. I think this will help those young people in the apprenticeship program because you're getting them registered and keeping the records maintained."

A climate bill appeared to be dead when the Massachusetts Legislature failed to pass one during its regular session that ended in July.

But state law permits the Legislature to hold informal sessions throughout the rest of the year, where votes can be taken on legislation when the majority party has a quorum present. House and Senate negotiators agreed to a bill in mid-October. It was passed a few days before Healey signed it.

Another reason the legislation is important: On the federal level, the future of clean energy projects is less clear after President Donald Trump took office in January.

"Who knows what will happen in the clean energy field in the new administration?" Keating said. "It's very uncertain. States that are forward-thinking on clean energy do not want to be stopped in their tracks."

Murphy said officials with National Grid, a major employer of Local 104 members, have told him they are committed to their projects. National Grid is a key energy supplier in Massachusetts.

"Their projects are scheduled to go, and they will only use our people, which is great," he said.

A new program is offering members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes the chance to try their hand at linework, tree trimming and other utility jobs, along with the opportunity to join Kalispell, Mont., Local 768.

"It's a win-win opportunity for Mission Valley Power to evaluate them for employment and for the worker to learn and explore the industry," Local 768 Business Manager George Bland said.

The yearlong training project, run through the tribes' Department of Human Resources Development in concert with MVP, provides federal funding to train tribal members as groundmen while introducing them to careers as lineworkers, operators, substation technicians and tree trimmers.

Upon completing the program and being accepted into an apprenticeship as a full-time employee and union member, they will have the opportunity to join Local 768.

The pilot program, comprising eight participants, is aimed at achieving several goals that focus on the human potential and individual achievement of tribal members, MVP General Manager Zachary Conko Camel said.

The trainees, who started in July, work under the supervision of journeyman linemen, substation technicians and tree-trimming crews, keeping the ground clean, loading trucks, cutting and hauling brush, and fire-wrapping poles, among other duties. They also receive their commercial driver's licenses and learn "soft skills" like time management and communication.

"The goal is to be a well-trained individual capable of obtaining unsubsidized employment in the utility industry," said Conko Camel, who previously worked for the tribes.

Trainees also get an introduction to IBEW membership. As part of the program, the workers get a presentation on outside construction as an IBEW member, Local 768's referral system and book signing, and the benefits of working under a collective bargaining agreement. They also learn about the great wages, benefits and other opportunities that membership entails.

"We look forward to them signing our books and receiving credit for their time as groundmen," Bland said. "Thanks to the program, they'll know what kind of work they're getting into and hopefully stick around and advance their careers."

According to Conko Camel, the utility faces challenges due to its extensive service area, and this training program aims to prepare for MVP's future needs. Operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the utility is responsible for 1.2 million acres and more than 40,000 utility poles. Its workforce is almost entirely tribal members. The program is a great way to introduce a potential employee to the rigors of the job, as well as the perks.

"You always take a chance with apprentices, but with this program, you can see them for a year," Conko Camel said. "You can learn a lot about somebody in that amount of time."

Bland and Conko Camel said the trainees are enjoying the program and all that they're learning.

"Whenever I ask them how they're liking it and if they're learning a lot, I always get yeses," Conko Camel said. "They're doing stuff they've never done before, and they're excited about it."

Conko Camel credits the success of the program to the buy-in they've gotten from leadership, as well as the journeymen who are working with the trainees. And some of those trainees have already expressed an interest in becoming tradesmen.

"I've learned a lot from the journeymen, like chainsaw training and how it's important to stay safe on the job" said Micah Askan, a trainee who learned about the program from his grandfather, who works for MVP. "It's really impressive."

For Bland, this is Local 768's first time participating in such a program with tribes, but hopefully not the last.

"As long as the funding is available, we see this as an excellent opportunity for the next generation of tribal members," he said.