WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT CREATES MORE JOBS

THAN COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC GENERATION DEVELOPMENT

OVERVIEW

Apollo Alliance JOB Benefits to Montana

            Apollo Alliance, Montana Job Data Table

WESTERN RESOURCE ADVOCATES (WRA) PLAN JOB BENEFITS TO MONTANA

            WRA Investment Data Table

OVERVIEW

Local and global energy generation, use and price greatly affect virtually every aspect of our lives. For example, our region's high natural gas prices are helping to force industrial users like the petrochemical industry to move their operations overseas. U.S. chemical workers have lost approximately 78,000 jobs since natural gas prices began to rise in 2000.

 Without proof, when he was a candidate for the Public Service Commission, Brad Molnar tried to scare us by making the unfounded claim that balanced plans for more wind energy will cause "massive" unemployment. The opposite is true. Embracing wind farms will actually give us a net gain of two times more jobs than if we continue with business as usual. [1]  In truth, no jobs will be lost from existing Montana coal plants under the Western Resource Advocates Balanced plan to have 21% of the electric energy in the 7-state rocky Mountain West come from wind power and other renewable energy.

There might be a slight job loss in the coal mining industry if we retrofit existing coal plants in Billings and Colstrip to burn 12% biomass. However, the supplying of 12 % of the coal to the Colstrip and Billings plants is a small part of the total coal supplied from Colstrip. Those jobs would be offset by jobs in agriculture and the emerging "clean wind boom." It may also be that the use of biomass will actually save some coal jobs because it will improve the pollution control profile of aging coal plants that might not be able to compete with new pollution control technology.

During the "clean wind boom," potential coal mining industry job loss can be offset under the more expansive renewable resource plan proposed by the Apollo Alliance. And, as you can see from the table below, even under the Western Resource Advocates plan, wind power development will create more jobs and more investment in Montana than continued coal-fired electric generation development.

The nationwide Apollo Alliance to make America independent from OPEC in 10 years will create 7,670 Montana jobs. For example, there will be 369 new Montana transportation jobs when we use windmills to produce hydrogen from water-not coal or methane--to run our cars. Enough hydrogen can be produced from the quantity of water that flows for 29 hours past the mouth of the Mississippi River to replace the fossil fuel used by the entire US transportation industry. [2] For Montana that is many swallows less than would be needed in the coal, synfuel scenario that would guzzle the Tongue River.

Under the Apollo Alliance plan, fifty-six of those 7,670 new Montana jobs would be in coal mining. That would more than offset a potential small coal mining job loss under the Western Resource Advocates plan if we retrofit some coal plants to burn up to 12 % biomass in 5 existing coal plants in 2009. Biomass is forest thinnings, waste from future ethanol plants, and the small amount of cow manure (from a rejuvenated Montana feedlot industry). Biomass co-firing will produce 2-cent a kilowatt/hour electricity.

The Apollo Alliance job gain would include 1,230 new Montana construction, maintenance and repair jobs.

Apollo Alliance Benefits to Montana: [3]

The Apollo Alliance hopes to bring Montana the benefits of increased energy efficiency and investment in renewable energy resources:

·         A stronger economy,

·         New job creation in well-paying industries,

·         A restored natural environment - one that is livable, breathable, drinkable, and otherwise improved, and

·         A more livable built environment - reduced commute times, more light and comfort in buildings, etc.   

Several studies, including our own report, New Energy For America, emphasize the positive impact of investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency on the national job market.  A recent study by the Perryman Group takes this down to the state level, and shows how Montana can add jobs and grow its economy through renewable energies:

·         An Additional $453 Million of Economic Activity in Montana

·         7,670 Jobs Created, including:

o        559 New Manufacturing Jobs Created

o        1,230 New Construction Jobs Created

·         $299 Million of Increased Income

For more information on how renewable energy investment can benefit Montana's economy, click HERE.

Apollo on the Ground:

Over the past few months, Apollo Alliance regional organizers have been meeting with public officials, labor unions, businesspeople, and community/environmental activists in areas across the U.S to gain support for its agenda.  In each region, the Apollo Alliance seeks to form a coalition of environmental, labor, business, and community contacts to design and implement Apollo goals for that region.  For more information about Apollo projects in your region, click HERE.

Regional Contacts:

To contact your Apollo Regional Organizer or to become involved with the Apollo Alliance in your state click HERE.

Other Resources:

For facts about existing renewable energy projects and your state's renewable potential, click HERE.

To see renewable energy financing incentives in each state, click HERE.

Apollo Alliance, Montana Job Data Table: [4]

The Impact of the Proposed Apollo Project on the Economy of Montana (Average of 10-Year Investment Cycle and Permanent Effects (In Constant 2004 Dollars))-Detailed Sectoral Results
				Employment
	Total	Gross	Personal	(Permanent
Sector	Expenditures	Product	Income	Jobs)
Agricultural Products & Services	$63,571,253	$22,659,859	$13,502,562	696
Forestry & Fishery Products	$1,887,006	$1,101,095	$369,520	8
Coal Mining	$21,082,747	$6,148,553	$6,479,136	56
Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas	$9,528,410	$2,260,788	$955,365	7
Miscellaneous Mining	$11,758,419	$5,550,701	$3,262,946	46
New Construction	$136,684,031	$60,321,700	$49,793,568	954
Maintenance & Repair Construction	$30,440,641	$16,453,600	$13,615,113	276
Food Products & Tobacco	$9,998,693	$2,552,895	$1,275,739	28
Textile Mill Products	$1,610,862	$409,025	$330,232	10
Apparel	$1,363,665	$719,091	$377,278	14
Paper & Allied Products	$4,698,514	$1,914,412	$939,813	20
Printing & Publishing	$6,047,556	$2,947,018	$1,950,317	45
Chemicals & Petroleum Refining	$31,204,368	$5,016,381	$2,797,865	23
Rubber & Leather Products	$1,434,099	$613,612	$355,092	10
Lumber Products & Furniture	$19,384,210	$6,534,944	$4,512,047	128
Stone, Clay, & Glass Products	$7,791,904	$3,787,445	$2,021,540	45
Primary Metal	$20,746,592	$6,577,303	$4,870,443	95
Fabricated Metal Products	$6,911,708	$2,835,240	$1,831,040	42
Machinery, Except Electrical	$14,620,386	$7,016,964	$4,804,215	67
Electric & Electronic Equipment	$1,620,900	$881,542	$473,628	6
Motor Vehicles & Equipment	$1,801,885	$350,754	$248,625	5
Transp. Equip., Exc. Motor Vehicles	$195,331	$66,098	$59,764	1
Instruments & Related Products	$638,178	$246,256	$212,879	4
Miscellaneous Manufacturing	$2,693,656	$1,049,103	$722,569	15
Transportation	$47,360,721	$28,599,938	$18,956,564	369
Communication	$11,954,040	$7,645,557	$3,234,423	39
Electric, Gas, Water, Sanitary Services	$46,885,280	$10,585,480	$4,529,865	26
Wholesale Trade	$56,438,522	$42,373,555	$22,786,822	427
Retail Trade	$90,913,302	$73,726,233	$44,740,124	1,715
Finance	$13,067,627	$8,521,520	$4,574,724	65
Insurance	$9,570,081	$6,163,990	$3,695,365	62
Real Estate	$55,106,634	$14,101,269	$1,772,127	30
Hotels, Lodging Places, Amusements	$14,066,431	$7,175,978	$4,730,664	164
Personal Services	$14,696,563	$9,057,433	$7,046,077	163
Business Services	$48,303,417	$29,685,441	$23,625,597	431
Eating & Drinking Places	$30,396,515	$17,555,416	$9,479,380	585
Health Services	$38,617,782	$26,642,210	$22,797,718	540
Miscellaneous Services	$26,349,668	$12,874,179	$11,057,209	366
Households	$897,189	$897,189	$878,125	83
Total Mfg. Sectors Only (Rows 20-36)	$132,762,507	$43,518,084	$27,783,085	559
Total	$912,338,786	$453,619,771	$299,666,078	7,670

SOURCE: US Multi-Regional Impact Assessment System, The Perryman Group

METHODOLOGY: The state-by-state and national estimates for total expenditures, gross product, personal income, and permanent jobs are based on an input-output analysis of the Apollo Project investment done by the Perryman Group. Input-output analysis, pioneered by Nobelist Vassily Leontief, is a widely used technique for estimating the effects of economic investments. It is based on the idea that spending in any given industrial sector has ripple effects throughout many other sectors.

• Total expenditures are defined as the total increase in output found in all sectors as a result of the investment in question.
• Gross product is the sum of the value added by all sectors as a result of the investment.
• Personal income is all wages, salaries, and other income received by individuals as a result of the investment.
• Finally, permanent jobs are defined as jobs created over the 10-year period of the Apollo project, as well as jobs that are the result of the returns on the investment.

WESTERN RESOURCE ADVOCATES (WRA) PLAN JOB BENEFITS TO MONTANA

Western Resource Advocates projects that if we take the business as usual (BAU) approach to producing electricity, our kids in the 7-state rocky Mountain West will pay energy monopolies $7.3 billion a year more than necessary by 2020 -- $2 billion too much for electricity and $5.3 billion too much for natural gas. [5] The WRA proposes a balanced energy plan of creating by 2020, 20 percent of our electricity in the region from the wind and other renewable resources to avoid these unnecessary overpayments. The WRA Investment Table data indicates that under the balanced energy plan, in Montana we will see an increase in jobs to construct $191 million more in infrastructure than under the BAU approach. And we will construct 98 more megawatts of generating capacity in Montana. The other benefits (cleaner air, conservation of water, etc.) of these plans are covered in other sections.

Montana has not built a coal plant for decades until the Hardin plant was started. That is indicative of boom and bust construction cycles associated with coal development. Wind farms can add machines, as the need requires, a megawatt at a time and are thus ideal for managing short-term expansion.

Click below to see:

WRA Investment Data Table (Prepared by Russ Doty from WRA data)