Green Jobs

I read with interest your September 14th article "Green jobs economy has hits and misses in Maryland. " While the stagnant economy that we are presently mired in may well have slowed the growth of jobs related to sustainable energy and environmentally-driven services, we do know that there is a strong future for such jobs. Existing policies and consumer incentive programs will inevitably increase future demand for green products and services. For instance, most local governments now insist that new public buildings be built to LEED standards for energy efficiency.

Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp. is planning a month-long series of free workshops and networking events designed to help the county's unemployed residents find jobs. Of 60,000 available jobs in the Baltimore region, 11,000 are in Anne Arundel County, said Kirkland J. Murray, the group's president and CEO. The group operates one-stop and career connection centers in the county. Back-to-Work month, from April 2 to May 3, will help jobless residents develop skills to better compete in an improving job market, the group said.

Maryland should increase its efforts to protect natural resources, reduce waste and promote renewable energy as a way to attract and retain jobs in fast-growing green sectors, according to a report by a governor-appointed task force to be unveiled Wednesday. Recommendations of the Green Jobs & Industry Task Force, part of Gov. Martin O'Malley's initiative to create or retain 100,000 green jobs by 2015, include increasing the state's reliance on wind power and solar energy, improving public transportation and promoting high-density development around transit hubs.

I never thought I'd hear a Baltimorean say such a thing. Last week, while reporting on the Rawlings-Blake administration's 10-year financial plan, I spoke with the mayor's press secretary, Ian Brennan. We covered a lot of ground in our hourlong phone conversation, but one comment in particular rewound itself repeatedly in my mind like a game-deciding, goal-line drive. One day, said Mr. Brennan, "We would love to be spoken of like … Pittsburgh as a city not suffering post-industrial urban decay any longer.

There are a couple of serious problems with the so-called "green jobs revolution. " The first concerns the serial overpromising of new jobs from politicians of all stripes. And it's easy to understand why the overpromising is so rampant: All of us want to believe alternative sources of energy will free us of our overdependence on foreign (and often hostile) sources of energy. Throw in the possibility of thousands of new technology jobs and you have plenty of eager politicians ready to sell a green jobs platform.

The federal government is underwriting a $4 million study of how many "green" jobs there are in Maryland, Virginia and Washington and how to increase them, labor officials announced Wednesday. The Mid-Atlantic regional study is the largest among nearly $55 million in grants awarded nationwide by the U.S. Department of Labor. The funds will pay for job training and information to help workers find jobs in so-called "green" industries or related occupations. The O'Malley administration has set a goal of creating 30,000 new green jobs in Maryland by 2012, but estimates of how many such jobs there are now vary widely, from nearly 11,000 to 35,000, said Andy Moser, assistant secretary in the state's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Dirty, used oil promises to bring some badly needed jobs to Baltimore, one recycling company says. But energy-saving light fixtures aren't proving to be the growth business that another company thought they were — at least not yet. FCC Environmental, a Houston-based company, recently announced plans to build a $50 million plant in Fairfield to recycle used motor oil, hiring 30 people to reclaim a waste normally burned in industrial boilers....

Green jobs" are touted as the universal cure-all, saving the environment and the economy at the same time. Congress included more than $80 billion in spending and tax incentives to promote them in the recent stimulus bill. It is a wonderful vision that fits nicely with Wednesday's 39th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Unfortunately, claims about the wonders of green jobs are all too often constructed on myths about economics, forecasting and technology. In a recent study I co-wrote, we waded through the most comprehensive green jobs proposals and found that most plans are a gamble on unproven technologies.

The green jobs debate rages on. Some argue that all the stimulus money being poured into green efforts - such as renewable energy and building retrofitting - will create millions of jobs and will revitalize the economy. Others are not so sure. The Institute for Energy Research just published a study challenging the rosy predictions of people like those at the Center for American Progress who predicted that $100 billion worth of green investment would create 2 million jobs. One criticism is that the term "green job" is ill-defined.

Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp. is planning a month-long series of free workshops and networking events designed to help the county's unemployed residents find jobs. Of 60,000 available jobs in the Baltimore region, 11,000 are in Anne Arundel County, said Kirkland J. Murray, the group's president and CEO. The group operates one-stop and career connection centers in the county. Back-to-Work month, from April 2 to May 3, will help jobless residents develop skills to better compete in an improving job market, the group said.

There are a couple of serious problems with the so-called "green jobs revolution. " The first concerns the serial overpromising of new jobs from politicians of all stripes. And it's easy to understand why the overpromising is so rampant: All of us want to believe alternative sources of energy will free us of our overdependence on foreign (and often hostile) sources of energy. Throw in the possibility of thousands of new technology jobs and you have plenty of eager politicians ready to sell a green jobs platform.

Farming in the city doesn't need a lot of land - and sometimes not even arable land. On a South Baltimore parking lot, inside six plastic-covered greenhouses, a handful of urban farmers are raising a cornucopia of greens in a thin layer of imported soil. Once the site of the city's maintenance garage, the half-acre "farm" on the paved-over brownfield by the Middle Branch now produces arugula, romaine, spring onions, basil, cilantro, fennel - even spicy edible flowers. And it's all organic, the growers say. Big City Farms is the name of this budding agricultural enterprise, operating on land now owned by the National Aquarium.

On April 17, I will be protesting war taxes at Baltimore's main post office. I realize that taxes fund many good programs - education, environment and diplomacy. But sadly when 57 percent of the federal budget goes to the Pentagon, the government's priorities are out of touch with the pressing problems facing its citizens. Instead of investing in a clean energy future and prioritizing human and environmental needs, we are somehow still caught in the outdated and dangerous thinking of the past.

Updated: With quotes from Garagioa and O'Malley.  The state's top Democrat will weigh into one of the most competitive primary election in Maryland on Thursday. Gov.Martin O'Malleywill back state Sen. Rob Garagiola in his bid to capture the nomination in the 6th Congressional District, a significant get for a candidate who has faced a stronger than expected challenge from Potomac banker John Delaney late in the campaign. The endorsement comes nearly four months after Garagiola received the backing of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and it arrives at a potentially critical time for his campaign.

The private firms developing two major state-sponsored projects say they are trying to take advantage of a little-known element of immigration law that provides green cards to foreigners who invest $500,000 to $1 million in a job-creating enterprise in the United States. It's apparently the first time something like this has been tried in Maryland, and it's making some people uncomfortable, including Senate Minority Leader Nancy Jacobs of Harford County. She's contemplating legislation to make the use of investor visas illegal for state projects, saying it sounds like we're selling citizenship and "turning the country over to the Chinese.

I read with interest your September 14th article "Green jobs economy has hits and misses in Maryland. " While the stagnant economy that we are presently mired in may well have slowed the growth of jobs related to sustainable energy and environmentally-driven services, we do know that there is a strong future for such jobs. Existing policies and consumer incentive programs will inevitably increase future demand for green products and services. For instance, most local governments now insist that new public buildings be built to LEED standards for energy efficiency.

Updated: With quotes from Garagioa and O'Malley.  The state's top Democrat will weigh into one of the most competitive primary election in Maryland on Thursday. Gov.Martin O'Malleywill back state Sen. Rob Garagiola in his bid to capture the nomination in the 6th Congressional District, a significant get for a candidate who has faced a stronger than expected challenge from Potomac banker John Delaney late in the campaign. The endorsement comes nearly four months after Garagiola received the backing of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and it arrives at a potentially critical time for his campaign.

Less than four years ago, Bill Harmon lived hand to mouth on the streets of Baltimore, struggled with a drug addiction that depleted his savings and had no prospects for a job with a future. These days, a drug-free Harmon has a job he believes is the future, thanks to a green careers training program run by Civic Works, Baltimore's urban service corps. Harmon, 56, works as a field technician in the burgeoning environmental industry, where he tests for contaminated soil on construction sites and helps contain hazardous material during demolitions.

Dirty, used oil promises to bring some badly needed jobs to Baltimore, one recycling company says. But energy-saving light fixtures aren't proving to be the growth business that another company thought they were — at least not yet. FCC Environmental, a Houston-based company, recently announced plans to build a $50 million plant in Fairfield to recycle used motor oil, hiring 30 people to reclaim a waste normally burned in industrial boilers....

A group of state workforce agencies launched a new job search site Tuesday for "green" occupations in the region, saying that Maryland, Washington and Virginia have more than 230,000 workers involved in some aspect of environmental protection or natural resource conservation. The job listings site, marcgreenworks.com, has openings ranging from geologist to software engineer. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Collaborative, which created the site, is made up of state workforce leaders in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.