CORRECTION: The organization that put out the report on clean energy jobs is Environmental Entrepreneurs. An earlier version misstated the name. (10:30am EST June 17, 2021)

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- One year after Virginia adopted its Clean Economy Act, workforce development and new jobs in clean energy are booming in the state, as its economy expands into renewable-energy industries.

Shawn Avery, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, said wind power, especially, has taken off in the Virginia Beach area. The Council partners with training programs and community colleges to place workers in wind and solar jobs.

He noted the jobs are popular with young people who want to make a difference, and also attract workers moving from coal and manufacturing jobs.

"In many of the jobs that are going to be needed offshore, a lot of the skill sets are very much the same, from welding to electronics," Avery explained. "So, there's a real correspondence to the jobs in manufacturing, to also the jobs in the clean-energy economy."

This week, Dominion Energy announced an international partnership to build the nation's first offshore wind-turbine installation ship. Its home port will be Hampton Roads, and it is expected to generate hundreds of jobs building wind farms off the East Coast.

This year, New College Institute in Martinsville began offering certification training for workers looking to move into wind-energy careers.

Karen Jackson, interim executive director of the New College Institute, pointed out wind turbine construction off the Virginia Beach coast will expand. As a result, she expects growth for a range of career opportunities, from welders to accountants, to safety technicians.

"It's going to range from data scientists all the way up through marine biologists and engineers, the turbine workers that we're training," Jackson outlined. "It runs the gamut. And I think people are thinking very narrowly about the career opportunities. Really, it's going to touch a very, very wide spectrum of careers."

Virginia ranks 10th in the nation in hiring for clean-energy jobs with more than 88,000, according to a new report by Energy Entrepreneurs.

Despite losing some renewable jobs during the pandemic, the state's clean-energy jobs growth was 6.5% from June to December 2020.


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HELENA, Mont. - An event coming up soon looks at the prospects for clean energy in Montana.

The Energy Future Summit will be held virtually Oct. 1, hosted by the Northern Plains Resource Council. Topics for sessions at the one-day summit will include a just transition to renewable energy and the role of power companies in that transition.

Northern Plains board member Joan Kresic said she hopes the summit can demystify the process of how energy is produced, and how it gets to the average home or business to turn the lights on - a process that can be hidden.

"How we create energy, how it gets to us, whether it's good for our environment or whether it creates further harm, especially climate chaos, really matters," she said.

She said the subject of a just transition is important for Montana as supporters of clean energy tackle how to ensure fossil-fuel and coal-dependent workers will get good-paying jobs in the future.

The summit will start at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, is open to the public and costs $20.

Kresich said the realities of climate change have been apparent across Montana this summer, and a recent report from the United Nations paints a grim picture of the future if the world doesn't take substantial action on climate change. However, Kresich said she's reminded of a quote from environmentalist Paul Hawken, who said, "Belief doesn't change action, but action can change belief."

"For instance, here in Livingston, the air has not been safe to breathe, day after day after day. That's really hard to bear," she said. "But what he's getting at is that, when we take action, we can create hope because we know action is possible."

Speakers and panelists at the summit will nclude Emily Rhodes from the Just Transition Fund, Mark Haggerty at the Center for American Progress and a keynote address by John Farrell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

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HELENA, Mont. -- Conservation groups in Montana are calling on the federal government to overhaul oil and gas leasing on public lands.

President Joe Biden paused leasing when he came into office, but a federal judge has overturned the moratorium.

On August 31st, the Bureau of Land Management proposed 14 parcels in Montana covering more than 62-hundred acres for a lease sale in February and is seeking public comment on the proposal.

Derf Johnson, staff attorney for the Montana Environmental Information Center, said the Biden administration recognized concerns with the leasing process when they issued the pause.

"America's public lands currently are leased for oil and gas through a system that is broken," Johnson contended. "It rips off taxpayers, it doesn't protect our environment or our climate, and there's a whole slew of administrative problems with the system."

In their letter to the state director of BLM for Montana and the Dakotas, the groups proposed seven reforms to the leasing process. They include limiting the quantity and scope of sales, requiring a royalty rate of at least 18.75% for all leases, and limiting participation by speculators.

The oil and gas industry group Western Energy Alliance initially challenged the pause, arguing Biden had overstepped his presidential authority.

Aubrey Bertram, staff attorney for Wild Montana, said there is an urgent need to curb carbon emissions on public lands. She noted if our public lands were a country, they would be the fifth-largest greenhouse-gas emitter in the world.

Bertram noted the Biden administration has ambitious climate goals, and fossil-fuel extraction on public lands will play an integral role.

"I think it's fair to say that the status quo is not going to get the administration to its goals when it comes to climate resiliency and economic recovery," Bertram asserted. "We know we need to do things differently, and this is a really important chance for the administration to put their money where their mouths are."

Bertram added 20 million acres of public land is already leased across the West. Last week, House Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee voted to include reforms to oil and gas leasing on public lands in the budget reconciliation package.

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CHANDLER, Ariz. - President Joe Biden's $150 billion clean-energy plan aims to rid almost half of the power grid of carbon-based fuels by 2035, but conservationists say his proposal will likely see resistance from Western states with energy-production economies.

The plan, which goes before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, would reduce the use of coal and natural gas to cut carbon emissions and to develop a green-energy economy.

Sandy Bahr is director of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club and said she agrees with Biden's assertion that time is running out to deal with the effects of climate change.

"Extreme drought, extreme temperatures, larger wildfires," said Bahr. "Those are all costing us money. For those who think it's too costly to move rapidly to clean energy, it's much more costly not to."

Under Biden's program, energy suppliers would be eligible for grants if they increase the amount of clean electricity supplied to customers by 4% compared with the previous year. Republicans are expected to oppose the measure, saying it costs too much.

Bahr said while states such as Arizona, Utah, Montana and others have set their own renewable goals, power producers are going slowly to protect their carbon-based assets.

"We need to require these large monopoly utilities to do better," said Bahr. "They move too slowly and they often have a vested interest in keeping some of these old plants running longer."

In many states, there are weak inducements to cut back on the use of coal and gas. Scott Williams, executive director of the environmental watchdog Healthy Environment Alliance (HEAL) Utah, said regulators need to rethink their incentives.

"Their primary charge in doing that is to provide power to customers at the lowest possible rate," said Williams, "although they are also charged to consider other societal benefits."

Other highlights of Biden's Build Back Better plan include funding electric-grid improvements, decarbonizing federal buildings and vehicle fleets, providing home and appliance efficiency rebates, and subsidizing solar projects in low-income communities.

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