The fossil fuel industry, politicians and conservative think tanks use the economy and jobs as a reason to block clean air regulations that would cut pollution from power plants. They turn a blind eye to the return of American manufacturing in green energy technology like solar and wind. Industries producing products that are good for the planet, US consumption and export to international markets. Products that are much cleaner and safer solutions than oil, gas or coal for China, India and the developing world’s growing energy demands.
Recently, Vesta Wind Systems in Colorado announced it was hiring 800 new workers as part of a goal to fill 1,500 jobs this year. They are mostly full-time, high skilled manufacturing jobs, not minimum wage, service sector work that often requires a second job or a government safety net for families to just get by.
Vesta Wind Systems has wind turbine orders from Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and North Dakota. Farmers and other land owners that host turbines receive land lease payments that bring in another source of revenue and add to local tax bases. Colorado’s 2013 wind energy production cut about seven million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere which translates to that of about 1.1 million cars. Likewise, solar panels have been going up in efficiency and coming down in price and have a similar clean energy story.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/21/3462155/wind-power-hiring-colorado-vestas/