Tennessee and Clean Energy Job Growth
Not many people would think "Tennessee" when they hear "clean energy jobs" but maybe they should
Last week, I came across an organization called E2, which publishes an annual report titled Clean Jobs America. They use the US Energy and Employment Report (USEER) released by the Department of Energy to track employment in the energy sector. The E2 report is interesting overall, but something jumped out at me.
The state of Tennessee, where I live, experienced more growth in clean energy jobs than any other state. Tennessee is beautiful, but not known for progressive climate policies. In fact, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) currently plans to build two new gas-powered plants committing to fossil fuels for the next 25-30 years.
Tennessee’s congressional representatives voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, with Hagerty saying, “Today, Democrats made defining choices that showed the American people their radicalism has no bounds, choosing green energy fantasies and big government over the needs of American families, workers, and businesses.” Yet, all indications seem to be that “green energy fantasies” are fueling even more job growth in Tennessee.
Along with the outstanding clean energy job growth in 2022, the state has already secured more than $7 billion in investments across 14 different projects toward clean energy for 2024—and at least some of those investments are directly tied to the IRA.
Much of the growth in clean energy jobs in Tennessee and the greater region are tied to electric vehicles. In the next issue of this newsletter will discuss how EVs are helping generate jobs in the region, with comments from Stan Cross, the Electric Transportation Policy Director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
Despite the rhetoric of politicians, climate change mitigation is not a partisan issue. I hope that Tennesseans can see past the rants of our elected representatives to the jobs and savings that are a result of the energy transition.
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