Report: ‘Green’ jobs grew in Louisiana

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Over the nearly four years since Hurricane Katrina, there’s been a lot of talk about growing the “green” industry in Louisiana.

The destruction created by the storm gave supporters of environmentally friendly construction a blank canvas in places like the Lower 9th Ward.

But just how many green jobs have been created in the state? A study released last week has the answer.

The Pew Charitable Trusts study says between 1998 and 2007 Louisiana saw a 19.5 percent growth in clean energy jobs.

Here’s an excerpt from a CityBusiness story:

Louisiana had the 24th most clean-energy businesses and the 22nd most green jobs. California ranked first in both categories, with 10,209 companies and 125,390 jobs, while North Dakota had the fewest jobs with 137 and Wyoming had the fewest jobs with 1,419.

“Louisiana is running in the middle of the pack when it comes to clean-energy companies and jobs,” the CityBusiness story also says.

The report says that Louisiana’s clean-energy job sector has grown much faster than total jobs in the state, even though there’s a lack of venture capital investment and little research activity in clean technology, according to the story.

Yesterday, The New York Times posted a story online about green jobs in New Orleans. Here’s a quote from Reed Dickson, director of the Conservation Corps of Greater New Orleans:

“In New Orleans, we can see the green economy right before our eyes,” Dickson said. “There’s a lot of discussion about whether green jobs will persist, but our experience is that they are here now.”•