Source: Council of State Governments.
The Council of State Governments, a trade group representing state executive, legislative and judicial branches, compiled a state-by-state analysis of green jobs created or retained through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through Oct. 10, 2009.
According to the report, “unprecedented investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, and other environmental improvements” created more than 13,000 jobs nationwide but most states have yet to see big results from the cash infusion.
CSG notes that Idaho created more than 800 green jobs to date, a figure that represents nearly 40 percent of the state’s total jobs created with Recovery Act funds.
But hope is on the horizon:
The figures included in the report only reflect jobs created or saved in programs that started prior to the October reporting deadline. Top job creating programs include the weatherization assistance and energy efficiency block grant programs of the Department of Energy and the clean water and drinking water state revolving funds of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Other programs with strong green jobs potential, such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s production tax credit grants did not report job creation prior to the October deadline. The Department of Energy already announced a number of grants through this program which may drive significant job growth for wind energy and other projects in the coming months.
