The boom in clean energy jobs in Massachusetts continues, with another 11.8% growth in the last 12 months, and now 79,994 there. That total is just direct jobs and does not include indirect and induced.
http://www.masscec.com/content/2013-clean-energy-industry-report.
Let's put the Massachusetts 79,994 clean energy jobs total in context. It is considerably more direct jobs than has been created in Pennsylvania by the Marcellus boom. In fact, 30,000 direct jobs have been created by gas production in the Commonwealth, according to the Corbett Administration.
http://articles.mcall.com/2013-09-03/opinion/mc-pennsylvania-marcellus-shale-saudis-scared-yv-20130903_1_gas-production-gas-fields-gas-industry.
Yet, another reason Pennsylvania ranks 49th in job creation is the Corbett's administration neglect or hostility of clean energy jobs.
The reported numbers of "Green Jobs" created is notoriously difficult to get our hands around. It is not entirely clear what a green job is, and the criteria for calling something a green job is something of a non-scientific endeavor. Is a worker at a nuclear plant employed in a green job? Are all the secretaries and lawyers required to work actually in green jobs? And much more.
ReplyDeleteBut the more important point is this: we don't really care about jobs. It's easy to create jobs. Without being too snarky, we can all just hand people shovels to do the work of a backhoe. That is not a sign of progress. That said, how much energy per job created are we seeing in Massachusetts? And how much energy per job created are we seeing in the gas areas? It is actually a virtue of gas that it does not require many people to produce. Isn't it better to get cheap energy with only a few people laboring to get it than to get the same cheap energy with more? That frees up all of those workers to do other important things for us. I don't know squat about PA and its labor market for what it's worth, but the "low" number of jobs in the gas sector should be celebrated, not a point of fear or worry.
interesting, but if an industry is using the job creation mantra as a selling point then....PA cannot afford-literally to put all its eggs in the gas basket and that is what we are seeing. There is no one "perfect" energy source at this time. An energy plan using greener, renewable energy sources should be the goal with reliance on fossil fuels being phased out. It will not happen overnight but it certainly should be the plan. I will say this, the lawyers are certainly finding jobs in PA as a result of the gas rush. Are they counted in the gas industry numbers?
ReplyDeleteIncentives in PA need to be improved for solar and groundsource- how about some direct grants using ACT 13 to install systems??
ReplyDeleteHow about abolishing ACT 13 as illegal
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