Two bits of moderately good news this morning.
First, President Obama is issuing an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour on future or renegotiated federal contracts This is something the Progressive Caucus and others having been asking the President to do, and he's doing it. It will make a difference in the lives of many people.
Second, the evil-doers are failing in their attempts to kill solar energy:
U.S. solar companies added 20 percent more jobs in the 12 months through November, the biggest climb since an industry-funded group began its survey four years ago.
The survey of more than 15,000 employers found 23,682 jobs were added, with installation accounting for about half of the industry’s 142,698 workers, the nonprofit Solar Foundation concluded in a report posted on its website today. The rate is 10 times more than the national average for job growth, as a continued decline in installation costs spurs demand for solar power systems.
“The solar industry’s job-creating power is clear,” Andrea Luecke, president of the Washington-based foundation, said in the statement. “For the fourth year running, solar jobs remain well-paid and attract highly skilled workers.”
snip
U.S. solar energy capacity jumped 35 percent in the third quarter driven by large-scale projects, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. A February 2012 U.S. Energy Department study predicted that employment in the solar industry will reach more than 340,000 by 2030.
The cost of installed solar equipment has dropped more than 50 percent since the start of 2010, the foundation said. Installers make an average of $23.63 an hour, according to the survey.
Bloomberg News
The Green economy is growing.
