Top 5 Counties: Clark, Washoe, Carson City, Elko, Douglas; 9.5 Percent Statewide Growth Rate; Authors Available to Discuss Report with Media at National Clean Energy Summit
ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS (E2) and CLEAN ENERGY PROJECT (CEP)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACTS: Patrick Mitchell, 703-276-3266, [email protected]; or Kate Whiteley, [email protected].
LAS VEGAS (October 12, 2017) – More than 31,000 people work in Nevada’s clean energy economy, according to the new Clean Jobs Nevada report unveiled today by the national, nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) and Las Vegas-based Clean Energy Project.
The report – available here and at www.e2.org/cleanjobsnv – was released in connection with the Clean Energy Project’s 2017 National Clean Energy Summit at the Bellagio Resort and Casino. More information about the Summit can be found here.
Report authors will be on site at the Summit to discuss the findings in person with credentialed media. Authors can discuss which industries have the most clean energy jobs, how Nevada compares to other states around the country, and which policies lawmakers at the state and federal levels can enact in order to ensure Nevada remains a national clean energy leader.
The report shows a 9.5 percent growth rate in Nevada’s clean energy jobs from a year earlier, far outpacing the state’s overall job growth rate. The dominant sector in clean energy is energy efficiency, with about 16,000 jobs, or more than half of all the clean energy jobs in the state.
“Our report shows that Nevada’s commitment to developing its clean energy resources is creating jobs and driving economic growth,” said Karen Wayland, CEP’s executive director. “We’ll continue to see more clean energy jobs in the state if we get the right policies in place to unleash the full potential of Nevada’s sun, geothermal and efficiency resources.”
According to the report, state and federal policymakers can take several steps if they want to help ensure Nevada’s clean energy economy keeps growing, including:
- If voters approve Energy Choice in 2018, Nevada should ensure that all electricity retailers in the market get a minimum amount of their electricity from renewable sources, and that a designated entity is empowered and funded to run energy efficiency programs.
- Lawmakers should implement Nevada Senate Bill 150 and Assembly Bill 223 in a manner that requires electric utilities to run robust energy efficiency programs, including programs targeted to low-income customers.
- Using Senate Bill 145, Nevada should implement the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration Program, encourage EV infrastructure in critical market segments like multifamily residential and workplaces, ensure that electricity rates encourage customers to charge EVs at optimal times and consider EV rebates.
- Nevada’s federal representatives should block extreme, innovation-crushing cuts slated for the U.S. Department of Energy.
The report shows there are clean energy jobs in every legislative and congressional district in the state, offering more evidence that clean energy is a bipartisan issue that benefits both urban and rural Nevadans. The report also ranks the top 5 counties for clean energy jobs:
“With 31,000 jobs and a nearly 10 percent growth rate, the clean energy industry is a clear winner for Nevada,” said E2 executive director Bob Keefe. “And clean energy is not just helping the state’s economy, it’s helping its environment.
“State and federal lawmakers have a choice: Keep Nevada growing as a national leader in clean energy with smart policies that support renewable energy, energy efficiency and electric vehicles, or lose out to neighboring states and the rest of the world,” Keefe said.
Social media graphics are available here: overall, growth rate, yearly data and energy efficiency.
To speak with the report authors or with clean energy business leaders in Nevada, please contact Patrick Mitchell at 703-276-3266 or [email protected].
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Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for smart policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Our members have founded or funded more than 2,500 companies, created more than 600,000 jobs, and manage more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital. For more information, see www.e2.org or follow us on Twitter at @e2org.
Clean Energy Project, Inc. (CEP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to powering the clean energy economy through education and engagement with policy leaders, community leaders and citizens on the benefits of fully developing a clean energy economy. The goal of CEP is to grow the clean energy economy and create jobs in Nevada and the West through policy development. CEP compiles and promotes the economic benefits of investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy through public education events, outreach and media. We do this by partnering with businesses and business focused organizations, federal, state and local government, and community organizations. CEP focuses on the “business of clean energy” and is a technology neutral organization. For more information, see www.cleanenergyprojectnv.org.