Chris Madello, United Association Labor Union, at Capitol Hill Tech Conference

The Lexington Institute was honored to have Chris Madello, International Representative for the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, speak at our July 24 Capitol Hill Tech Conference.

Mr. Madello is a strong and clear advocate for the United Association which has built data centers since the 1990s. His union brothers and sisters have excellent jobs and opportunities because of data centers that enable many “to take care of themselves and their families.”

He also pushed back hard on data center opponents.

“I’ve heard many people talk about construction jobs very dismissively because they say they’re only temporary. Well, without a stream of construction projects and without continued growth, you can’t build a 30- or 40-year career. The data centers present that opportunity for us.”

He added, “The last thing we want to see is moratoriums or bans on data centers … Our position is that data centers should be built responsibly, as the gentleman from Amazon mentioned. There is a pathway forward for all of them to be built in a way that makes them more efficient with their energy and water use. And they have been.”

To view a video of the full speech, click here.

To view the transcript, click here.