The current economic distress has invigorated the discussion about jobs creation as a way to incubate new growth. Alternative energy advocates who previously have been singing for more government support for environmental reasons have added verses which claim that green investments will be a stimulus as opposed to a drag on the economy. In divvying out stimulus money for energy projects, the Obama administration has made their preference for alternative energy clear. Traditional energy advocates, such as the American Petroleum Institute, are not happy with this tune and are defending their turf. The argument has evolved into one of which energy industry can claim the most new jobs created and the greatest economic bang for the stimulus buck. It is true that job creation is necessary to maintain social order, and it is hard to argue that there is a downside to a lot of employment in the clean energy sector.
Where your energy payments go |
But I will. Everything you have read recently about energy and jobs is wrong.