by Wendy Rouse Jackson
Pursuing clean energy and upholding conservative principles are not contradictory goals; in fact, the two are quite complementary. Saving energy, reducing our reliance on foreign resources and protecting taxpayers — all benefits of domestic clean energy production — align perfectly with the fiscal goals of conservativism.
So does supporting existing clean energy jobs in our state as part of our post-pandemic recovery efforts, both here in North Carolina and across the country. As Congress looks to pass further stimulus funding in the face of the pandemic, it is critical that its workforce-focused initiatives include clean energy workers.
As a long-standing regional leader on clean energy issues, North Carolina in particular is poised to reap the benefits of policies that recognize our clean energy businesses and workforce. Just last year, our state enacted the North Carolina Clean Energy Plan, which includes a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions caused by electric power production to 70% below 2005 levels by 2030.
The plan also calls for net zero energy — or carbon neutrality, in which we are removing as much carbon as we are creating in the production of electricity — by 2050. These lofty goals are building off the progress we have already made as a state. Since 2005, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 34% thanks to North Carolina’s 2002 Clean Smokestacks Act.
State leaders and our elected officials in Congress should be commended for their commitment to building a clean energy economy here in North Carolina while also working to protect our abundant natural resources. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) of Winston-Salem, for example, has demonstrated tremendous leadership in championing bipartisan land conservation efforts in Washington, D.C.
Now, Burr and his colleagues of both political parties should leverage the spirit of bipartisanship to help protect our state’s robust clean energy sector — especially the hardworking North Carolinians who work in clean energy jobs, upon which they depend to feed their families and support their communities. Clean energy can help power North Carolina’s economic recovery, but only if we find ways to help existing clean energy businesses get back on their feet and put their employees back to work.
Before the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina boasted more than 112,000 jobs in clean energy, including in renewables, energy efficiency, clean vehicles and more. However, from March through May, more than 27,000 of these jobs were lost, representing nearly a quarter of North Carolina’s clean energy workforce. While a few thousand of these jobs have returned, we still have tens of thousands of clean energy workers and their families who are dealing with the fallout of pandemic job losses.
These figures mirror a national trend. Across the country, more than 620,000 of the nation’s estimated 3.3 million clean energy workers lost their jobs during this time. That’s roughly 19% of America’s clean energy workers who now find themselves without employment.
Notably, the percentage of jobs lost in North Carolina during this period outpaces the national average by roughly 7%. We’ve been hit especially hard. Nationally, hundreds of thousands of clean energy workers are still out of a job.
Throughout the pandemic, Congress has proven that it can act quickly and decisively when it must. However, despite providing trillions of dollars in economic relief, Congress has yet to pass legislation that specifically addresses the dire needs of the clean energy sector and its workers.
Burr — and the rest of North Carolina’s congressional delegation — should make it a priority to pass a post-pandemic economic plan that prioritizes clean energy jobs here at home. That will help get North Carolinians back to work, support our economy and help us recover from this terrible disease and its impacts.