Going green can help grow new jobs
The many "green" initiatives that are springing up within the business community and government are more than just a fad or public relations gimmick. For southeast Michigan, the robust emphasis on going green holds a lot of potential for the region to grow jobs and diversify its economy.
In particular, the Detroit region's deep history of research and development as the brain center of the global automotive industry puts it in a prime spot to capitalize on the push to develop cleaner alternative energy sources. This area has a wealth of talent, education institutions and businesses that are ready and willing to create the next generation of clean energy.
Making the Detroit region a major hub of the alternative energy industry will take strong public and private partnerships. Michigan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow clearly understands this; she recently introduced a $3.5-billion Green Collar Jobs Initiative that, if enacted, will provide federal funding for energy efficiency and conservation, advanced battery production, retooling older manufacturing plants, biofuel production and employment training.
The initiative can be a critical funding source for southeast Michigan to reconstitute existing manufacturing facilities, spur research and development, and commercialize technologies that will produce the next generation of clean fuels. The Detroit region has always been the home of the automobile, and this proposal will make crucial investments in an industry that is racing to create more alternative energy vehicles. Such an investment in the budding green industry will create thousands of local jobs.
Stabenow is taking the right approach by providing incentives for the private sector to develop and utilize cleaner energy sources, rather than imposing mandates on businesses that will result in job losses and put the nation at a competitive disadvantage with other countries. These types of innovative solutions and policies are unfortunately more the exception to the rule than a standard operating procedure for government.
The Green Collar Jobs Initiative is a good example of aligning sound public policy with smart economic development strategies. It will help leverage our assets as the global automotive center so the region can capitalize on the emerging green industry. The result will be more jobs and greater economic diversification for southeast Michigan.
DOUG ROTHWELL is president of Detroit Renaissance and RICHARD E. BLOUSE is president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. Write to them in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226 or at oped@freepress.com.
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