A new study of green jobs paints a dire outlook for U.S. employment if the nation fails to adopt aggressive targets for renewable energy use.
The study by the RES-Alliance for Jobs has a natural bias. The organization is funded by wind, solar, and other renewable energy companies and associations, which would stand to benefit from such goals.
But its stark assessment raises a terrifying question: what if it’s right? The study argues that 37 countries around the world have adopted goals for alternatives energy and will be the likely spots for new plants, companies and projects. This includes China and the members of the European Union.
In contrast, many states in the U.S. will shed green jobs without appropriate nationwide goals, it claims. The study, released Thursday, projects the nation will create 67,000 new jobs if it adopts a 12 percent renewables target for 2014 and 274,000 jobs if the target is raised to 25 percent by 2025.
The breakdown of new jobs by industry follows: 116,000, wind; 60,000, biofuels; 50,000, solar; 34,000, hydropower; and 15,000, waste to energy.
The states with the most jobs to gain are Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado and California. Midwest and Mid Atlantic states will benefit to a lesser degree, as will Texas, Oregon and Washington.
Biofuels in particular would generate jobs in Florida and Louisiana. Wind energy will be a significant employer across the Great Plains and Midwest.
Without use targets, which the study claims are more effective than the tax credits the country is relying on today, many states will shed green jobs, including Texas, Ohio, Indiana and a number of states across the Great Plains. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen.
The nation will create green jobs if renewables targets are put into place. The darker the color, the more jobs. (Source: RES Alliance for Jobs)
Posted by Mark Boslet 
