Today The New York Times produced a special section on energy that acknowledged many of the facts that we at Heartland often repeat to deaf ears about job creation within the energy industry and the transformational nature of unconventional fuel extraction. I thought I would highlight a few key points from the articles and encourage you to read them in their entirety.
New Technologies Redraw the World’s Energy Picture:
“There is the potential to really rebalance strategic power in the world,” said David L. Goldwyn, former State Department coordinator for international energy affairs. “If we are able to manage significant incremental supply from Canada, from onshore U.S., from Brazil and friendly countries in West Africa, then we can significantly ameliorate the risk of a supply disruption in the Middle East or from other countries that might use oil as a weapon.”
Solar Power Industry Falls Short of Hopes in Job Creation:
“[I]f the electricity from the solar installation is more expensive than the energy it replaced, then everybody who uses electricity will spend a little more for it, and everybody who pays taxes will contribute to the government subsidies for solar. Thus there will be a little less money to spend on other activities that could also generate employment.
“In December 2010, Susan Combs, the comptroller of Texas, reported that school districts in her state were giving tax abatements to lure new jobs, but had to give $1.6 million for every wind energy job. Manufacturing jobs could be created for $166,000 each.”
