WASHINGTON – Michigan ranked fourth in the nation in a quarterly report of U.S. clean energy and clean transportation job announcements, according to the nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs.
The report, which was released Thursday, tracked a pair of third-quarter project announcements in Michigan that could bring 1,100 total jobs to the state. Michigan has now cracked the top 10 in three out of the past four quarters.
Nationally, the report shows that companies and communities across the country announced more than 80 clean energy and clean transportation projects in the third quarter of this year. Together, these projects could create more than 15,000 jobs.
California and Nevada led the country for clean energy and clean transportation job announcements, with New York, Michigan, and Texas rounding out the Top 5. Several Southeastern states ? including South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida ? were also among the top states for job announcements tracked by E2.
The report includes announcements from 30 states in industries ranging from wind power generation to recycling to clean-energy related manufacturing and biofuels. The top sectors nationally were renewable power generation, with 6,700 jobs announced, and manufacturing, with 3,300 jobs announced.
The report shows strength in industries that benefit from strong state-level renewable energy policies. However, the scheduled sunset of an important federal policy in the wind industry is slowing job growth in that sector. There were no Michigan wind announcements in the third quarter.
?Clean energy continues to put Americans to work,? said Judith Albert, E2?s executive director.
While there were positive developments in states like Michigan, E2?s latest job announcement tally shows continued problems nationwide in the wind industry, which is bracing for the scheduled expiration of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) at the end of this year.
