Climate bill needs to protect jobs – and create new ones

There is no doubt that the climate bill has the potential to create jobs in the new clean energy sector – including in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

According to a study by BBC Research and Consulting, the deployment of power plants equipped with CCS could generate $1 trillion of economic output and create between 5 million and 7 million man-years of employment.

However, with unemployment at almost 10 percent, the bill also needs to protect existing jobs – particularly manufacturing jobs in energy-intensive industries. We want to avoid “trading” current jobs in the industry for newly created jobs.

Everybody recognizes that a bill that will result in meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will – to some extent – increase energy costs. But energy costs are identified as a significant factor in determining the “cost of doing business” in a state – second only to labor costs.

While we recognize that a cap-and-trade rule is an option for a federal program (which we support), adding cost containment to the bill is essential to ensure we don’t see unnecessary increases in costs and, therefore, protects existing jobs.

Note: The BBC study was prepared for the Industrial Union Council, the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Mine Workers of America and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

Comments

[Brian Taylor]

The whole idea is to de-develop the United States. This site buys the Eco-wacko premise. Clean technology should be used as it becomes practical, not as the Eco-religious desire.