By Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News
Wind turbines have become a familiar part of the landscape in the rural Midwest, and with them have come jobs, income for farmers and tax revenue for communities. They’re one sign of how the clean energy transition is helping to transform areas that sometimes struggle to attract jobs and investment.
A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows the extent to which clean energy is contributing jobs to the rural economies of 12 Midwestern states. It also reflects what the rural Midwest stands to lose from Trump administration actions that harm clean energy, such as its recent call to eliminate subsidies for renewable energy, its tariffs on solar energy equipment, and its plan to weaken the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. The authors say the numbers underscore the need in the Midwest for government policies that are supportive of clean energy instead. Read more here.
Dan Gearino covers the U.S. Midwest, part of Inside Climate News’ National Environment Reporting Network. His coverage deals with the business side of the clean-energy transition, and he writes Inside Climate News’ Clean Economy Weekly Newsletter.
Image: Pixabay / Public Domain
RESOURCES: SOLAR & WIND ENERGY JOBS
- SEIA: Industry Jobs
- Solar Training Network
- Solar Training Network’s Toolkit, Strategies for Solar Workforce Development
- The Solar Foundation: New Funding Will Support Advanced Solar Careers for Veterans and Underserved Communities
- Coalition for Community Solar Access recently launched their jobs portal: Jobs in the Community Solar Industry
- AWEA Careers in Wind
- Google Search for Solar Jobs In Or Near Nebraska
- Google Search for Wind Energy Jobs In Or Near Nebraska