March 18, 2004

Press Conference on Renewables Work: Job Growth from Renewable Energy Development in the Mid-Atlantic

Statement by Brooks Mountcastle, Harrisburg Director:

"Good morning, my name is Brooks Mountcastle, and I am Clean Air Council's Harrisburg Director. Clean Air Council is a statewide, member-supported environmental advocacy and education organization with offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Wilmington, Delaware. With its central mission of "protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air," Clean Air Council is pleased to stand here with Penn Environment, PennFuture, and United Pennsylvanians, to support the release of Renewables Work: Job Growth from Renewable Energy Development in the Mid-Atlantic.

While Renewables Work is an excellent primer on the explosive growth of renewable energy and what it could mean to the economy and the environment in the Mid-Atlantic, its greatest contribution is that it serves as a business plan for manufacturers or purveyors of renewable energy in Pennsylvania. Simply stated, the report is a blueprint for a new, clean energy manufacturing infrastructure in the Mid-Atlantic. Moreover, it demonstrates that regional, national and international demand for clean energy will reap huge dividends for Pennsylvania's economy.

Clearly, a restructured electricity environment and demand for cleaner forms of energy are behind this explosive renewable energy growth, especially wind generation. However, this growth did not happen overnight in Pennsylvania. Through a concerted campaign that educated small businesses that power plants pollute and there are cleaner energy options available to them without dampening their profits, Clean Air Council encouraged 50 small businesses in 1999 to be the first pioneers in the Philadelphia area to purchase wind to power their establishments. This pilot program brought the first commercial wind project in the Mid-Atlantic to Hazleton, Pennsylvania and helped to launch Clean Air Council's Pennsylvania Wind Campaign, a program that builds on a successful model of consumers purchasing blocks of wind generation. Today, the PA Wind Campaign encourages statewide businesses, non-governmental organizations, religious organizations, municipalities, governments and individuals to make a commitment to wind energy. This demand and the efforts of public and private partnerships have built five additional wind farms totaling 129 MW, making the Commonwealth the leader in the eastern United States for wind energy in 2004.

If Pennsylvania is going to move away from traditional polluting forms of energy such as nuclear power, fossil fuel, and natural gas, it is incumbent that it charts a new energy future that includes wind and solar energy. Putting aside the important benefits to public health and the environment from renewable energy, Renewables Work demonstrates that job creation is greater in the renewable energy industry than in the natural gas industry, for example.

With job security in the coal industry not being what it used to be, a coal worker in Pennsylvania's renewable energy economy of the future may find themselves retraining to become the next wind smith or wind developer. And farmers, whose livelihoods are impacted by weather-related events or market fluctuations, could be better insulated from these financial uncertainties by leasing their land for wind farm development. Wind farms allow farmers to continue to use their land for raising crops or livestock, while simultaneously earning as much as $2000 a year per turbine. With respect to solar power, which is expected to account for 10% of U.S. power generation capacity by 2030, builders may wish to receive training in photovoltaic installation to support a growing demand for solar home buyers who can reduce the cost of installing solar when it is added during the construction of the home.

Governor Rendell's doubling of the state purchase of renewable energy is a bold step down the path to a cleaner future and a better quality life for all Pennsylvania. Still, it will require more aggressive footwork, such as a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), a requirement that a certain amount of the electricity generated or sold in a state come from renewable energy sources. An RPS will demonstrate to renewable energy developers and manufacturers that they indeed have a friend in Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell could also help to make "renewable energy" an everyday household term by providing tax credits for Pennsylvania residents that purchase solar panels or small wind turbines (where feasible) for their homes.

Renewables Work demonstrates the viability of a robust, renewable energy industry and the existence of a wealth of untapped jobs and clean energy potential throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The report explodes the myth that wind energy cannot compete with traditional forms of energy generation. And in fact, by the end of 2010 wind power is expected to cost three cents per kilowatt hour. This is significant given the billions of dollars in subsidies that traditional energy sources have received over the last 50 years. In an era of increasing dependence on foreign oil, often in geopolitically sensitive areas, and the vulnerability of the nation's power grid to terrorism, renewable energy provides a level of energy independence and a paradigm shift away from the vertically-integrated utilities. We must seize on the opportunities presented in this report and develop an action plan that realizes the potential benefits to Pennsylvania's economy and the environment."

Clean Air Council is a member- supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. The Council works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. The Council's team of attorneys, community organizers, and policy analysts focuses its efforts on the following key areas: Clean Air Act, Clean Energy, Sustainable Transportation, Waste Reduction and Recycling, Indoor Air Quality, and Children's Environmental Health.