EEI, IBEW recognize individuals for efforts advancing electric industry objectives

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) will present a series of awards this week for members’ efforts to advance state and local initiatives for the electric industry and for politicians that have crossed political lines to do the same.

This year’s honorees on the political side will be U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who will both receive the John D. Dingell Award for a history of bipartisanship in this sphere. In a statement, EEI touted the pair’s efforts to move Congress toward broad, bipartisan energy legislation last year in the form of the Energy Act of 2020. That legislation focused on clean energy technology development and provisions to enhance energy efficiency programs and rebuild the electric power industry’s domestic supply chains for critical minerals.

“Senators Manchin and Murkowski are firm believers and practitioners of an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy policy approach,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said. “EEI’s member companies, our tremendously skilled workforce, and our customers all continue to benefit from their leadership as we transition to a clean energy future for all. Both Senators are exceptionally deserving of this prestigious award, and we thank them for their tireless efforts and dedication to public service.”

That award is named for John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress, who served as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for many years. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), his widow, will present the award.

At the same time, the organizations will present the Edwin D. Hill Award to former IBEW Local 1245 Business Manager Tom Dalzell and former American Electric Power (AEP) Managing Director of Labor Relations Tom Householder. Both are being lauded for efforts to advance state and local initiatives that benefited EEI and IBEW members.

“Tom Dalzell and Tom Householder represent the very best of labor and management,” IBEW International President Lonnie Stephenson said. “Both men dedicated their careers to building successful labor-management partnerships that advanced the interests of both the energy industry and IBEW members. Their tireless work forged many innovative programs that continued to lift up our industry today. I congratulate them on this honor.”

Householder is credited with having drawn AEP and various labor unions closer together across the company’s 11-state territory and for pushing safety initiatives and an apprenticeship program for military veterans. Dalzell was re-elected to his position five times. Over the years, he created new programs and improvements that benefited IBEW members, including new steward roles: the safety steward and organizing steward.

The award is named for transformative trade unionist Edward D. Hill, under whose leadership IBEW and EEI came together to create the National Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee, which has allowed electric company executives and labor to collaborate on energy challenges and common goals.