The biggest winners from Inflation Reduction Act–driven projects will be states with plentiful wind and sun and significant manufacturing bases, according to a new analysis.
Each U.S. state could gain between 2,000 and 140,000 clean energy jobs by 2030 thanks to investments spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act, according to a new analysis by the think tank RMI.
RMI analyzed the amount of money that could be invested in the 48 contiguous U.S. states as consumers, manufacturers and other businesses take advantage of tax credits and rebates provided by the climate law. The analysis assumes that Americans will adopt clean technologies at the pace and scale needed to meet national climate targets — including the Biden administration’s goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse emissions to 50–52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
States with strong industrial bases, including Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, are also likely to see significant job growth from the manufacturing of batteries, electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbine components.
Many of those jobs will be for electricians, mechanics, construction workers and technicians. They stem from over 90 new clean-energy projects announced in small towns and larger cities across 31 states, Climate Power reported. However, seven states in particular will see the most employment action from those projects: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
“What was once controversial — adopting ambitious climate and clean energy plans — is now about ensuring that the state isn’t leaving economic development opportunities on the table,” write the authors of RMI’s analysis.
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