Environment
Inflation Reduction Act has spurred 100,000 new green jobs so far: Here’s where they are
A quality control worker checks a solar panel at the Hanwha Q Cells solar cell and module manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia, on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.
Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Since President Joe Biden signed the historic Inflation Reduction Act into law last August, companies have announced more than 100,000 clean energy jobs across the country, according to a report by the nonprofit Climate Power.
As of the end of January, companies have announced more than 90 new clean energy projects in small towns and larger cities in the U.S., totaling $89.5 billion in new investments, the report found. The wind, solar and EV manufacturing sectors are creating the new positions, which include electricians, mechanics, construction workers and technicians.
Most of the jobs are located in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
The IRA is the biggest climate bill ever passed by Congress and provides $369 billion in funding for initiatives like cutting emissions, manufacturing clean energy products and advancing environmental justice initiatives. The bill also includes tax credits for zero-carbon energy production.
The bill’s climate provisions are also projected to cut domestic carbon emissions by about 40% by 2030. Early in his presidency, Biden pledged to reduce U.S. emissions from 2005 levels at least in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Plans include 40 new battery manufacturing sites in states like Arizona, Michigan and South Carolina, according to Climate Power. So far, 22 companies have unveiled plans for new or expanded EV manufacturing in Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan. And an additional 24 companies have released plans to expand wind and solar manufacturing in Colorado, Ohio and Texas.
The legislation is projected to create more than 9 million clean energy and climate-related jobs over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Businesses are investing in manufacturing like never before, and planning to create good paying jobs in every corner of the country,” Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power, said in a statement.
“This is only the beginning — we’re months after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and we’re already at the precipice of a renewed manufacturing, Made in America boom that will create opportunities for millions of Americans,” Lodes said.