James Kellogg’s recent piece "True Impact on Working People of AB 32 is No
Mere Numbers Game" seeks answers about the impact recent environmental
legislation will have on jobs in California but unfortunately leaps to
doomsday conclusions that good paying jobs in the trades will vanish
from our state as we move to a cleaner, more energy independent
economy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Employment in the core green economy in California is now larger than
the state’s robust biotech industry. Between 1995 and 2008 employment
in the green economy grew by 36 compared to 13 percent for the overall
economy, according to an analysis by Collaborative Economics.
Even
through the recession this sector expanded as others contracted. Why
would we now turn our backs on part of the economy that is creating
jobs and in 2008 attracted $3.4 billion in venture capital, nearly six
times more than the next leading state?
Kellogg correctly laments the loss of manufacturing jobs in California,
but fails to mention that 21 percent of all green employment is in
manufacturing. And, while it is true that the construction trades have
been hit hard, at last check, the housing collapse was caused by the
global financial crisis, not by environmental legislation that has yet
to take effect.
Turning our back on a proven job creator like the green economy would
send a disruptive market signal to investors who find California
attractive because of its trained workforce, its proximity to the
market for the goods and services they produce and its stable
regulatory climate. This would have disastrous consequences as
California competes with powerhouses in Asia and Europe for dominance
in the area of clean and renewable technology. Working families would
indeed suffer if we allowed this to happen.