Economic officials hang hopes on green job market

Government leaders are leaning heavily on the development of green jobs to help pull the nation out of its economic tailspin.

Billions of dollars from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will go toward the development and research of green technologies, weatherization and a number of other incentives designed to shift Americans away from dependence on fossil fuels and into sustainable energy - and sustainable jobs.

But what is a green job?

Some green jobs are obvious - anything to do with alternative energy industries, including solar-panel installation and wind turbine development. But there's also the greening of existing jobs, as would be the case with the home remodeler who becomes certified in home energy audits and weatherization or the production worker who once built SUVs but now builds battery-operated vehicles.

"I think it covers a broad array of programs and opportunities," said Linda Martínez, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, who took the post in February.

The state is working on training programs that will help workers make the transition to greener jobs.

"We've been talking to a number of pretty innovative companies that have patents and technologies for clean energy - in the solar area, in the battery area, in the wind area - just wonderful opportunities," Martínez said, adding that officials are working to ensure that training is available so "12 months from now, 18 months from now, (workers) have been trained and are ready to apply for those jobs."

Among the areas expected to see a jump in jobs are building retrofitting and weatherization.

"It helps not only in the job creation, but with people who are having trouble with their heating bills, their cooling bills," Martínez said. "With the stimulus money, there's ($5 billion nationwide) going to weatherization, and I think people who were in the manufacturing area as well as the displaced construction workers are completely equipped to either get the training necessary or start immediately on those sorts of projects."

According to a report issued in February by Gov. Jay Nixon, Missouri expects to receive $125 million from the stimulus package to fund the Department of Natural Resources' weatherization assistance program. Low-income households would receive energy efficiency upgrades through community action agencies, the report said. Nixon also outlined another $60 million for the state energy program to aid government and school district energy-efficiency projects and renewable energy initiatives, as well as developing and testing clean, domestic energy, including alternative sources.

Details of the energy stimulus dollars will be discussed during the April 30-May 1 Ozarks New Energy Conference at Missouri State University.

Effects unknown

With federal funding yet to trickle in, officials don't know how much "green money" they'll get or for which projects and programs. The universal refrain is "green jobs are going to help the economy, but we don't know by how much."

Matt Morrow, executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, said his members have yet to see a significant increase in demand for green building, but members are preparing for what it may bring.

"It really hasn't manifested itself in jobs, but we are seeing a lot of incentives there designed to stimulate consumer demand," Morrow said.

The January creation of the National Green Building Standard for residential construction from the American National Standards Institute may help spur growth in the green residential building sector.

"There are components of green building that we are seeing increased demand for, and most of those are components that have a measurable financial return on investment," Morrow said. "We're not yet seeing a universal demand for the other components of green building that are equally valuable and important but don't have as measurable of a return on investment."

'Manageable growth'

Demand for renewable energy systems designed and installed by Nathan Jones' company, Power Source Solar Inc., has leveled off, he said.

His company designs and installs a wide variety of photovoltaic and thermal energy systems. There is an upside to the slowdown, he said.

"It was real frantic for a year and a half, two years," Jones said. "It was difficult to keep up with it all. This probably is really better, because it allows us to really think about how we're going to grow instead of being forced into it in a panic. It's a manageable growth."

Jones plans to add to his five full-time and two part-time employees at some point, though he can't predict when.

"We were sitting here this morning trying to hash that out a little bit, come up with a way to do that," he said. "It's difficult to find someone with the aptitude. Our business is extremely specialized, and it's hard to find somebody that is well versed in that which we do."

That's where Martínez hopes the state's training initiatives come into play.

"We have to get ahead of this issue," she said.[[In-content Ad]]