Wind power, biomass, and other sources of renewable energy will bring significant job creation, economic investment and new tax revenues to Indiana’s struggling rural communities, according to a new report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
“Facing an unprecedented set of economic challenges, Indiana stands at a new crossroads and is poised for healthy growth if it can take advantage of the enormous potential for development of its exceptional renewable resources” said report author Martin R. Cohen, an independent energy policy analyst. “With some of the world’s most productive farmland, ample water, and steady winds, Indiana has all the ingredients needed to be at the center of a new energy economy for America.”
The report examines the potential for renewable energy resource development, specifically looking at how the Hoosier state’s considerable wind, biomass and biogas potential will benefit rural communities.
“A national commitment to sustainable energy production would reduce our dependence on foreign oil and improve our energy security, create tens of thousands of new green jobs and revitalize rural communities, support the growth and prosperity of Indiana farms, and create a sustainable environment for future generations,” said Pierre Bull, NRDC Policy Analyst.
“The good news is that Indiana’s prospects for long-term economic recovery are directly tied to its energy future, which looks quite promising,” added Cohen. “Clean energy can bring jobs and income to rural Indiana. Within Indiana’s borders are vast resources of wind, land, and water–all the ingredients needed for Indiana to become a national leader in new energy development, creating tens of thousands of good jobs and substantial new sources of income for farmers.”
People in Indiana spend more than $24 billion per year on gasoline and other petroleum fuels, natural gas, and coal for electricity production, building heat, transportation, and industrial use. That translates to almost $3,800 in fuel costs per person–and 91% of those Indiana energy dollars leave the state, never to return.
Indiana’s total fuel production amounts to 6% of the nation’s ethanol and 3% of U.S. coal annually. Coal is used to produce 95% of the state’s electricity. Because Indiana coal is high in pollutants and relatively expensive to mine, however, utilities import most of their coal from other states, with more than one-third of it shipped from Wyoming. As an industrial center and transportation hub, Indiana is a big energy user–ninth in the country in per capita energy consumption–but most of Indianan’s energy dollars are literally going up in smoke. This drag on Indiana’s economy will only get worse if nothing is done to reduce energy consumption and to develop homegrown clean energy resources.
The report also notes that one-third of Indiana has commercially viable wind resources. Although Indiana saw the largest percentage jump in wind development of any state in 2008, it ranks just 14th in operating capacity. If 30 commercial-scale wind farms were built in Indiana, the result would be tens of thousands of construction jobs, including 1,260 permanent jobs, $71 million in annual property tax revenue, and $201 million per year in ongoing positive economic impact on local communities.
A Clean Energy Economy for Indiana is available online.
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