I want to honor a group of men and women who keep our world running – power line workers.
When most of us are inside staying warm during a winter storm, power line workers are outside climbing poles coated in ice. They are the first to leave their families and the last to return home when a hurricane knocks out power. When the lights go out, they hit the road to find and fix the problem.
Line workers work in extreme danger. They routinely handle live high-voltage wires and climb at great heights, often during storms, hurricanes, ice events or natural disasters when conditions are at their worst.
They restore normalcy after disasters, whether it be hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires or blizzards. They may travel long distances and work around the clock to bring power back to homes, businesses and essential services.
Power line workers sacrifice personal time. They may be called out at night, on weekends or on holidays. They often leave family commitments behind to keep communities powered, with little or no notice.
They are essential to modern life. We all depend on the electrical grid to work.
Their work restores more than electricity. It brings back comfort, security and normalcy. The power that they restore keeps the heat on, lets a medical device keep running and helps a small business reopen after a storm.
Thank you, line workers, for your courage and sacrifice. Thank you for the long nights, early mornings, missed holidays and the countless hours you spend rebuilding what nature tears down.
Power line workers are unsung heroes in our communities. They keep our world connected. This sense of gratitude that we all feel for line workers is well deserved.
I also want to extend my gratitude to the families of line workers. Your support makes their work possible. Your strength is evident in every successful restoration.
Power line workers deserve appreciation because they keep modern life running, often in dangerous, exhausting and high-stakes conditions.
Their expertise, resilience and commitment to safety are the backbone of our electrical system.
Please join me in thanking power line workers and their families for this dedication.