City Council go on record expressing its profound disappointment

O-

Calendar Item # 5

The City of Cambridge has long been a national leader in advancing climate action, sustainability, and carbon neutrality, and has sought to ensure that its clean energy investments also uphold principles of social justice, fair labor practices, and equitable economic transition; and

As part of the Consortium for Climate Solutions, the City entered into a virtual power purchase agreement in 2024 with Apex Clean Energy’s Bowman Wind Project in North Dakota, in good faith reliance on Apex’s stated commitments to supporting strong local labor practices and advancing a just transition for fossil fuel workers; and

It has since come to the City's attention that Apex Clean Energy has failed to incorporate a credible plan to prioritize the hiring of qualified, local North Dakota workers—particularly, unionized workers who have historically been engaged in the state's energy sector; and

The City Council has been made aware that contracts have instead been awarded to entities with a documented history of employing primarily non-union, out-of-state workers, thereby undermining the local economic benefits promised to host communities and directly contravening the spirit of the just transition the City was led to believe would be central to this project; and

The labor-related concerns that have been raised in this instance, and the fact that they persist, should serve as a significant warning to other municipalities and institutions considering partnerships with Apex Clean Energy, as investments in clean energy should never be done at the expense of skilled, qualified local laborers who are seeking to support themselves and their families; now therefore be it

That the City Council go on record expressing its profound disappointment over Apex Clean Energy’s decision to forgo the use of local union labor on the Bowman Wind Project, an omission that stands in stark contrast to Cambridge’s longstanding values of fairness, economic justice, and support for a skilled, local workforce; and be it further

That the City Council go on record urging other municipalities, governmental bodies, educational institutions, and private entities to exercise extreme caution before entering into any similar agreements with Apex Clean Energy, and to seek ironclad assurances that labor and local hiring practices will align with the highest standards of social responsibility; and be it further

That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this Order to Ken Young, President and CEO of Apex Clean Energy, to all Consortium for Climate Solutions member institutions, and to relevant stakeholders within the Massachusetts state government and the broader renewable energy community.

History: 06/23/25

PLACED ON THE TABLE

Next: 06/30/25 06/30/25

NO ACTION TAKEN

Next: 08/04/25 08/04/25

PLACED ON THE TABLE

Next: 09/08/25 09/08/25

NO ACTION TAKEN

Next: 09/15/25