This Labor Day weekend, the story is that more Americans are working because of clean energy.
That’s the statement released by Environmental Entrepeneurs Executive Director Bob Keefe to accompany his organization’sLabor Day jobs report.
As the report shows, it’s certainly looking sunny for the sustainable energy and transportation sectors, which created some 12,500 new jobs in the second quarter of 2014, more than double the number of jobs added in Q1.
Solar continued its hot streak, adding 5,300 jobs, followed by wind with 2,700. Manufacturers of electric cars Tesla and General Motors also provided significant bumps, according to the report.
But Keefe did have some words of caution about his report’s findings, as well: to keep that growth going, we need our state and federal leaders to do their jobs too, he said.We need them to support smart policies that grow our economy and protect our environment policies like the federal Clean PowerPlan.
Announced by theEPAin June, theClean Power Planaims to lower global warming pollution from power plants some 30% by 2030 by creating specific emissions reduction targets for each state. TheEPAsays it plans to work with states in a flexible way in implementing the plan, to allow for the fact that each state has its own unique energy mix.
