Growing Today’s Green Jobs Requires Solid Economic Development Policy

I have spent more than 25 years in the profession of economic development serving at the community and state levels. I have worked with hundreds of companies to create tens of thousands of jobs. In that time, I have seen more “silver bullets” than the Lone Ranger ever gave away. These have included the following “you must have” edicts: four lanes/interstate highway; a new airport terminal; micro chips; nanotechnology; aqua culture; speculative buildings; a Super Bowl; a bohemian bastion; or a biotech cluster. Now, it’s environmentally friendly “green” businesses like wind farms and solar fields that are calling for precious public resources.

Yet in reality, these silver bullets usually work only for a few places and certainly do not constitute a national strategy for job creation. Some places may benefit from the rush to wind and solar energy, although the benefits may well diminish if the panels or turbines are made elsewhere. There are not too many industries that have such a large profit margin that they can afford to pay double or triple their existing electric rates.

In fact, the answer to job creation is definitely not financially supported and government-mandated green energy policy that focuses its efforts on wind and sun. The reasons why that policy won’t work include:

by Ron Kitchens

Full Story: http://www.newgeography.com/content/001248-growing-todays-green-jobs-reqires-solid-economic-development-policy