Fifty-eight clean energy and clean transportation projects were announced in the second quarter of 2013, including a wind power transmission project in Missouri and Kansas.
The clean energy and clean transportation sectors continued to create jobs during the second quarter of this year, according to a recent report published by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a community of business leaders who promote environmental policies that also benefit the economy. The report states that across the country, 58 clean energy and clean transportation projects were announced, which could lead to as many as 38,600 new jobs, a number slightly higher than that reported during the second quarter of last year.
These new jobs come from a variety of areas, including renewable energy, public transportation, electricity grid improvements and energy efficiency. Renewable energy jobs make up the greatest number with more than 13,300, and these projects include solar, wind, biomass and other energy sources.
“Clean energy jobs are alive, well and growing,” said Judith Albert, executive director of E2, in a press release. “Smart policies like renewable energy standards at the state level, coupled with federal policies like President Obama’s climate change initiative, promise to keep that growth going.”
Some states made notable achievements with their project announcements, including Missouri and Kansas, which made the top 10 list of states to announce clean energy projects for the first time. These two states will be involved in a transmission upgrade project that will transmit more than 3,500 megawatts of wind energy east to other states. For the first time, Hawaii and Alaska were also included in the top 10 states to announce clean energy projects.
Maryland announced an expansion to the existing light-rail system in Baltimore, which will create many new construction jobs. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Maryland, which placed third on the list, announced a $2.6 billion expansion to Baltimore’s light-rail system. The improvements will include 20 new stations, reduce carbon emissions over time and create more than 4,200 construction jobs.
California announced 12 clean energy and transportation projects, the most of any state, which could lead to as many as 9,000 jobs.
To learn more about these and other clean energy projects, as well as to see a state-by-state breakdown of projects, visit cleanenergyworksforus.org.
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