Tuesday, November 13, 2007

"It's the economy, stupid!"

The latest tactic of the pro-coal lobby in South Carolina is to gloss over the minimal jobs creation impacts of the Pee Dee coal plants (i.e. 80 jobs) while asserting that if we don't build these plants, our state will lose manufacturing jobs to China. Of course, no evidence has been provided in support of these fear-mongering claims.

Once again, however, advocates for efficiency and renewables have a positive, rather than a negative, message.

Witness this report released last week on the economic impact of the renewable energy and efficiency industries in the United States:

[In] 2006 the combined [Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency] industry generated nearly a trillion dollars in industry sales, 8.5 million new jobs, more than $100 billion in industry profits, and more than $150 billion in increased federal, state, and local government tax revenues. In addition, [Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency] reduce the risks associated with fuel price volatility and can facilitate an industrial boom, create millions of jobs, foster new technology, revitalize the manufacturing sector, enhance economic growth, and help reduce the trade and budget deficits.
How many jobs could this industry create? The report goes on to find that this industry could create over 20 million jobs in this country by 2030. And this is their moderate scenario. Read for yourself to discover what an aggressive commitment to clean energy would mean for employment in our nation.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

True. GE builds wind turbines right here in Greenville, SC -- last I checked they employed a couple thousand folks, including a cousin of mine. SC could be a leader in these kind of industries.

Anonymous said...

Isn't santee cooper is supposed to brjing ecnomic development to South Carolina? Says so here: http://www.scprimesite.com/portal/page/portal/SCPrimesite/Utilities

Seems like they should be more into renewable energies and efficiency if they wanted to create alot of jobs!