New Hampshire Green Jobs Growth Strategy Publicly Endorsed by Economic Development, Business and Labor Leaders

New Hampshire Green Jobs Growth Strategy Publicly Endorsed

by Economic Development, Business and Labor Leaders

New Report Outlines Rapid Green Economic Recovery Plan

New Hampshire Could Gain Over 9,000 Jobs By Investing in Climate Change Solutions

For Immediate Release:                                                                    Media Contact:

September 15, 2008                                                                               Jim Rubens, (603) 359-3300

Concord — Stephen Heavener, Executive Director of Concord Regional Development Council, the state’s largest regional economic development corporation, joined several other economic development, labor, and business leaders today to endorse a jobs growth strategy centered on increased incentives for investment in clean energy and energy efficiency.

“We strongly support state and federal policies that create the opportunity for New Hampshire companies to develop products and services based on clean energy and energy efficiency,” said Heavener.  CRDC has recently supported a biofuels start-up company in Pittsfield. 

The green jobs growth strategy is bolstered by a study released in New Hampshire today, showing that the U.S. can create two million new jobs – and New Hampshire 9,245 jobs, reducing unemployment by 1.3 percent – by investing in a rapid green economic recovery program.

Led by Robert Pollin of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the study, “Green Recovery – A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy”, compared the economic impact of three means of distribution of a hypothetical $100 billion economic recovery package: a clean energy/energy efficiency investment package; increased oil industry investment; or a federal household tax rebate program similar to that of April, 2008 and designed to increase general consumption.

The study found that the clean energy/energy efficiency approach would create the greatest number of new jobs and result in greater long-term energy cost savings and greater reductions in global warming pollution. The clean energy growth strategy would create two million jobs nationwide over two years, four times those resulting from the same spending within the oil industry and triple the number of high-paying jobs ($16 per hour plus) as spending within the oil industry.

Several other economic development, labor and business leaders also stood in support of the green economic recovery plan:

“This is a win-win. The more our nation works toward clean energy solutions, the more opportunity for a lot of people to earn a decent living while helping the environment.”

Joe Casey is the Business Manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 490. IBEW Local 490 members are already investing in clean energy technology, with contractors performing the electrical installations for the Lempster wind project, as well as working on a pumping station that will move excess methane gas from the Rochester landfill to a generating facility on the UNH Durham campus.

603-224-4239, ibewlu490@verizon.net

“We created this program because there are tremendous opportunities for trained people with appropriate skills to do the work needed to reduce carbon emissions. We believe that this is our society’s best opportunity to mitigate climate change and to become energy independent. We are already finding significant private sector demand for our students which we expect to grow significantly over the next few years.”

Wes Golomb is Professor of Energy Services And Technology, Lakes Region Community College, and runs a program now in its second year, which trains students for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

603-524-3207 x763, wgolomb@ccsnh.edu

“As an electrician and the father of two small children, I am constantly wondering if my children will be able to live in a world that is environmentally safe. Clean energy projects such as this now provide me a paycheck and teach me about the new technologies that will make me more marketable for future projects. It is also a good feeling knowing I play a part in turning methane that was simply burned in the atmosphere into a useful energy source.”

Tony Peece is the General Foreman for E.S. Boulos Co., and works on the Rochester methane project.

“We have already seen a large increase in requests for green buildings. New Hampshire has the potential for even more growth in clean energy jobs.”

Mark Zydel is the President of American Council of Engineering Companies – New Hampshire, representing more than 40 statewide consulting engineering firms with about 800 employees.

“Because of client interest in clean energy sources, we are experiencing our biggest year in 20 years of business, and have hired four additional people. This is the future for the built environment. It is also clear to us that our country lags significantly, and that we are missing opportunities to lead the world to a less carbon-intensive economy.”

Tim Miner is co-owner  of BEAM Construction Associates, located in North Sandwich.

 606-707-0856, tminer1@earthlink.net

“We specialize in high performance residential building where the heating load is substantially reduced by better and greener building techniques. We have three green home projects underway and have had to turn down requests to quote three additional green homes due to our current workload.”

Bob Irving is the President of RH Irving Co, Inc, located in Salisbury.

603-648-2635, rhirving@tds.net

James Grady of LighTec, Inc. (Merrimack) also supports the green economic recovery program but was unable to attend the report release. LighTec recently completed electricity efficiency projects for the Hillsboro public school and for a Hudson manufacturer, projects which are expected to generate annual savings of $15,000 and $35,000, respectively.

For complete PERI study findings visit: http://www.peri.umass.edu/green_recovery.

Specific New Hampshire study findings are located at: http://www.peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/other_publication_types/green_economics/new_hampshire.pdf