The Myth of Green Jobs

 Chris Wodke

http://www.summittrainingpublications.com/

Right now saving the environment is a low priority for Americans. With high unemployment global warming is on the back burner for most of us. It still remains a high priority for the Obama administration.   The 2010 Federal budget proposal contains $20 billion in tax incentives for clean energy programs. The administration is predicting 5 million jobs will be created. 

Will this bring the promised bliss of jobs and prosperity?

• Higher costs may offset any gains from jobs from sectors like manufacturing that are high users of energy. Traditional sources of energy are currently far cheaper than green sources such as wind and solar.
• Green jobs are not well defined. What exactly is a green job and how will be measure if they are created?
• Governor Doyle’s proposed Green Jobs bill would result in a loss of over 40,000 jobs.

Are Americans concerned about Global Warming?

• A recent Gallup poll (http://www.gallup.com/poll/126560/Americans-Global-Warming-Concerns-Continue-Drop.aspx?CSTS=tagrss) shows 48% of Americans think Global Warming is greatly exaggerated. 35% thing Global Warming will never happen.
• Remember when we were told we were running out of land fill space 20 years ago?  Many environmental concerns are spearheaded by political groups with hidden agendas. We have to be very careful about making costly policy for a non threat. These expensive programs are being sold to us to create jobs and prosperity.

Has it worked in other countries?

• Spain has been one of the biggest builders of green energy infrastructure. They report losing 2.2 jobs for every job created with subsidized energy.  Obama has touted them as the green jobs  miracle.  Spain has 18% unemployment and its  the fastest growing rate in Europe.
• Spain has found green jobs to be very expensive. For each green job created consumers paid $742,000 in higher energy costs. What started as a 5 year plan is now being talked about as needing help for decades. Only 10% of the jobs are long term jobs needed to maintain the system. Money must continue to be pumped into the system to keep jobs going.
• Spain’s Acerinox SA, Spain’s largest producer of steel blamed higher energy costs for deciding to expand in South Africa and the U.S.
• In a Heritage Foundation lecture Dr. Gaberial Calzala, Professor of King Juan Carlos University said   “ The feed-in tariff….would make utility companies go bankrupt. No one knows how the debts from these programs will be paid. The feed-in tariff for wind was 100% over the market price.”
• Dr. Calzala claims every subsidized job in the solar industry destroys nine jobs in the private sector.

Green jobs programs are expensive and actually destroy jobs in the private sector. This is not a way to prosperity.

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