Labor Day 2014:
A Time to Refute the Myth of Jobs vs.
the Environment
Baton Rouge – The Baton Rouge
Group of the Sierra Club marked the occasion of Labor Day 2014 by calling for
an end to the myth of “Jobs versus the Environment.”
“We hear continually from some
politicians and pundits that regulations to protect the environment and human
health cost jobs,” said Sam Wilcher, member of the BR Group Executive
Committee. “But those regulations not only save lives – they also provide jobs.”
Wilcher cited a recent (2011) study
by the University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research Institute that concluded
that two new air quality rules from would create nearly 1.5 million jobs, or
nearly 300,000 jobs a year on average over the next five years.
The UMass study also concluded:
“Since 1970, investments to
comply with the Clean Air Act have provided $4 to $8 in
economic benefits for every $1
spent on compliance, according to the nonpartisan Office
of Management and Budget. Since
the passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments in
1990, U.S. average electricity
rates (real) have remained flat even as electric utilities have
invested hundreds of billions of
dollars to cut their air pollution emissions. During the same period, America’s
overall GDP increased by 60 percent in inflation-adjusted terms.”
“We hear the same story about job
loss from the same players when any new regulations, such as those currently proposed
for carbon emissions, ground level ozone, and water pollution, are put forward,”
said Wilcher. “But the record shows that these doom and gloom claims have never
been true.”
Wilcher pointed out that the same
politicians and pundits who attack environmental and health regulations as “job-killers”
routinely ignore the job growth in clean energy industries such as solar power.
“Solar power is a growth industry,” said Wilcher, “and has experienced several
record years. 2013 was the industry’s largest year on record for installations
of solar systems, and in 2013 there were nearly 143,000 solar workers in the U.S.,
a 20% increase over 2012.”
In Louisiana, the solar industry
has grown from about 5 firms to over 200 in the last four years. Around 1000
full-time solar industry jobs were created in Louisiana between 2009 and 2012,
and an additional 2,000 full time jobs are expected to be created in the state
by 2015.
Some Louisiana politicians are
holding the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline up as a desired job-creator. Since
the Pipeline would not be constructed in Louisiana, it is unknown how many jobs
the state might gain if it were built, though some state-based firms could
participate.
“Unlike the construction jobs
that are predicted to be created [in states it crosses] if the Keystone XL Pipeline
were built, the jobs created by the solar industry in Louisiana are long-term
jobs,” said Wilcher, “without the negative environmental and health impacts
that the Pipeline would bring if it were built.” Although the State Department’s
January 2014 report predicted that 42,000 construction-related jobs would be
created on a national level during the Pipeline’s estimated two year building
period, it also concluded:
“Once the proposed Project enters
service, operations would require an estimated 50 total
employees: 35 permanent employees
and 15 temporary contractors.” (p. 4.10-5)
“Clean air and renewable energy
can create jobs without an environmental legacy of pollution, health impacts,
and sea-level rise,” said Wilcher. “It’s clearly an area where Louisiana needs
more investment, and that investment will create long-term jobs.”
For
more information on the activities of the Baton Rouge Group and the Delta
Chapter of the Sierra Club, go to www.lasierraclub.org.
References:
Sierra Club Voter Guide: "Surprise - Polluter-Backed
Groups Using Discredited Attacks on Clean Power Plan"
