November 13th, 2012

A bipartisan coalition of governors has written to Congress to plead for the extension of the Production Tax Credit that has helped fuel the development of wind energy in the U.S..

The PTC, set to expire at the end of December, provides wind developers with a tax break that makes the business more profitable. Proponents say it’s needed to level the playing field for new energy, which must compete against subsidized fossil fuel industries like coal and natural gas.

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September 9th, 2011

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) CEO Rick Fedrizzi praised the job-creating infrastructure improvements proposed in the American Jobs Act, outlined by the president in a public address on Thursday.

“It is clear that we must rebuild and modernize our increasingly brittle built environment,” said Fedrizzi, the founding chair of the USGBC, in a statement. The USGBC promotes more efficient buildings and construction methods.

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June 28th, 2010

Clean energy advocates and labor leaders are calling on the U.S. to step up its commitment to wind energy and wind-related manufacturing — or risk losing thousands of jobs to China, Europe and India.

American wind urgently needs strong supports, such as long-term investment tax credits and a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), to show investors and domestic and global companies that it believes in the sector, the leaders said at a Monday news conference. A RES would signal that the U.S. wants to incubate developing firms and build everything it needs — from wind towers and blades to the highly evolved nacelles that keep the turbines turning.

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September 1st, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

The job market has been blowing in a positive direction when it comes to wind energy, with power companies building turbines, hiring technicians and pushing grid improvements to reach more consumers.

In 2008, wind energy created 35,000 jobs and accounted for 42 percent of new energy production installed in that year, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). That burst was part of an upward trajectory begun a few years before.

But after the economic implosion of late 2008, the picture didn’t look so bright. By 2009 even wind development took a hit from negative gusts in the economy. The downturn idled some wind projects, among other green programs, all vulnerable because of their dependence on investment capital.

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February 13th, 2009

By David Louie
KGO – San Francisco

SUNNYVALE, CA — Creating green-tech jobs is one of the key goals of the federal stimulus bill. It’s a big part of the economic future of the country.

But it’s also a focus in other parts of the world — like china.

>Watch Now

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January 19th, 2009

By Diane Porter
Green Right Now

Architect Ed Mazria has a vision for buildings that would make them energy neutral or “net zero”, a point where they used so little energy that they could equal it with what they fed back to the electric grid. It’s called the 2030 Architecture plan. And it aims big.

So it’s little surprise that Mazria and colleagues have developed a sister plan addressing the current American economic crisis. It would create jobs. Cut energy use. Curb global warming emissions. Send business to banks. Revitalize the construction sector.

And, oh yeah, it would help people get better, lower interest mortgages.

Are you there President Obama? Congress?

When Obama spoke to the nation early in January about his plan to get the United States economy back on track – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan – he spoke of creating a “clean energy economy” by rebuilding troubled infrastructure and modernizing federal buildings and American homes.

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July 23rd, 2008

By Nima Kapadia Jobs in renewable energy are increasing worldwide and causing the coal industry to distribute pink slips, according to a Worldwatch Institute study. The report, written by Worldwatch senior researcher Michael Renner, estimates that 2.3 million people are working in renewable energy jobs – either directly or indirectly. From that number: 1 million work [...]

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