As many as 37,409 jobs could be created from the more than 70 major clean energy projects announced across the U.S. during the second quarter of this year, according to a recent report from Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a national group of business leaders who advocate for sound economic and environmental policies.
The report also shows that the potential end of the production tax credit (PTC) already is putting a damper on the growth of the wind industry.
In the second quarter, E2 tracked 12 wind project announcements that are poised to create about 2,300 jobs, compared to 31 wind project announcements that would create more than 9,100 jobs in the first quarter of this year.
"The good news is that despite the challenging economic and political environment, the clean energy industry is still creating badly needed American jobs all across the country," says Judith Albert, executive director of E2. "The bad news is that the threats to the wind industry because of uncertainty over the production tax credit are very real, and are already taking its toll on job creation in that sector.”
According to the report, the top 10 states for clean energy jobs in the second quarter were as follows:
1. California (16 projects announced with 20,879 possible jobs); 2. Florida (three projects announced with 7,375 possible jobs); 3. New York (three projects announced with 1,408 possible jobs); 4. Michigan (nine projects announced with 1,319 possible jobs); 5. Colorado (two projects announced with 1,100 possible jobs); 6. Ohio (four projects announced with 712 possible jobs); 7. New Jersey (two projects announced with 600 possible jobs); 8. Illinois (four projects announced with 542 possible jobs); 9. Nebraska (one project announced with 500 possible jobs); 10. Mississippi (one project announced with 426 possible jobs);
Clean energy projects were announced in 30 states in the second quarter. Nearly one-third of the announcements were in Midwest states, including Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
