By Alyssa Norris
Democrats want clean energy; Republicans want domestic jobs. Can Americans have both? After a year since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it’s clear that by utilizing natural resources and the American workforce, we can boost our economy in pursuit of sustainability.
Last year the Biden administration passed the bipartisan IRA, attempting to curb inflation while investing over $370 Billion in domestic clean energy production. Since then, over 210 clean energy projects have been announced across 38 states with over 170,000 new clean energy jobs created.
This increase in jobs, projects, and investment demonstrates that the clean energy movement needs to shift course. For the clean energy transition to be successful, policy must not only encourage environmental sustainability, but promote domestic production, ensuring economic prosperity through investment in our nation’s natural resources and workforce.
The IRA’s clean energy incentives mark a clear departure from previous climate legislation by prioritizing American workers and domestic development. Most of the IRA’s investments and IRA-linked private investment is flowing into traditionally red-voting states and districts such as South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, targeting rural and fossil-fuel-dependent communities that typically suffer most from stringent environmental regulations.
This promise of new industry and local jobs is breathing life into industrial communities that have long grappled with outsourced jobs, dwindling populations, and economic precarity.
Blue-collar workers have borne the brunt of inflation and the changing energy landscape, especially over the past few years as coal and petroleum industries have lost tens of thousands of jobs. This disenchantment is apparent in the widespread popularity of songs like the chart-topping “Rich Men North of Richmond,” by Oliver Anthony, which highlights the frustrations of the American worker exacerbated by a lack of economic opportunities, eroding purchasing power, and burdensome taxation.
Despite decades of diminishing local jobs and burdensome emissions regulations, relief is coming to blue-collar workers through new investments in domestic energy resources. Georgia, for instance, has become a hub for green investment with over 20 clean-energy projects announced and nearly 17,000 jobs created, leveraging natural resources such as commercial timber for bioenergy projects.
Similarly, legislators in Louisiana have worked across party lines to secure clean energy projects, approving the first Climate Action Plan in the Gulf South.
Alaska, a state long reliant on oil and mining, is making strides towards embracing clean energy opportunities, as evidenced by “The Alaska Standard,” the inaugural sustainability report reflecting the state’s responsible resource development. The state also continues to support mining, supplying the clean energy transition with minerals such as cobalt, zinc, copper, and gallium necessary for electric vehicle batteries and solar panels. This newfound enthusiasm for sustainability reflects the evolving priorities of a state known for its natural resource wealth.
Even blue states with historically strict environmental regulations are fast-tracking clean energy projects to boost domestic production of natural resources. Washington, for instance, recently passed legislation streamlining permitting and siting processes. The state’s Department of Natural Resources have also touted their biomass and geothermal resources in the hope of attracting clean energy projects supported by federal funding and incentives from the IRA.
These initiatives illustrate willingness to align economic growth with environmental stewardship.
For far too long, the clean energy transition has been appealing to climate activists rather than supporting American industries. To achieve more than merely rhetorical successes, projects must stand on their economic merits, actually bolstering domestic industries and jobs without relying on artificial subsidies in the long-term. While the health of the environment is paramount, energy prices must remain affordable for the average American. A successful energy transition must balance financial, human, and environmental flourishing.
As countries scramble to find sustainable and affordable solutions, the United States is leading by example. Developing local regional natural resources, reinvigorating domestic industries, and empowering workers are requirements for a thriving clean energy economy. Responsible resource development is the bridge that will unite our nation’s clean energy aspirations with the imperative of job creation.
As the dust settles on the IRA’s first year, it’s evident that the American worker and responsible development of America’s natural resources is the cornerstone of a better future. It’s time to discard the false dichotomy that pits economic progress against clean energy. We can embrace both prosperity and a thriving environment by developing America’s natural resources with our own workforce.
Alyssa Norris is an engineer who leads sustainability efforts for a net-zero transportation fuel company based in the United States.
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