By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers
Many of the jobs that the economic stimulus would create are generated by the parts of the plan that also are intended to help combat global warming and reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.
The $787.2 billion stimulus plan that President Barack Obama will sign Tuesday includes the nation’s largest investment to date in cleaner energy. More than $80 billion in spending and tax cuts will go toward renewable domestic energy, a better grid to transmit electricity, energy research and programs to reduce the use of fossil fuels, such as weatherizing homes and federal buildings.
It’s difficult to put precise numbers on how many new green jobs to expect. Government economists use a formula to figure out how a fiscal stimulus translates into jobs, but uncertainties remain. Some of the results will depend on decisions that the Department of Energy and the states make about how to spend the money.
Even so, it’s possible to look at the big picture and see how the environmental spending can create some jobs in the hard-hit manufacturing and construction sectors.
Continue reading Stimulus expected to add jobs to build new energy system
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