September, 21 2020, 12:00am EDT
Fracking and Petrochemicals Create Fewer Pennsylvania Jobs Than Clean Energy
Study dismantles myths about fracking and petrochemical jobs.
WASHINGTON
While Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette tours a Shell petrochemical plant under construction in Pennsylvania today, a new analysis shows that the high-profile project will employ far less workers than promised, and that a similar investment in wind and solar manufacturing would be far more beneficial.
The new Food & Water Watch research, "Cracked: The Case For Green Jobs Over Petrochemicals In Pennsylvania," focuses on the massive Shell petrochemical 'cracker' plant outside Pittsburgh.
While early backers of the $6 billion project predicted it would create between 10,000 and 20,000 jobs, the facility will only employ 600 workers. Factoring in the massive $1.6 billion tax break granted to the company -- the largest in Pennsylvania history-- means the state is essentially paying $2.75 million to create each job at the plant.
The Food & Water Watch research estimates that a similar level of investment in wind and solar manufacturing would create over 16,000 jobs.
Unfortunately, state political leaders are still pushing tax breaks for fossil fuels and petrochemicals in the hopes that it will drive additional job growth. The Shell plant is emblematic of this misguided approach: Minimal job creation, increased pollution, and broken promises on using local labor and in-state materials like steel.
The Trump re-election campaign is heavily emphasizing fossil fuel and petrochemical jobs in Pennsylvania. Trump held a campaign-style rally at the facility a few months ago, and more recently falsely claimed credit for its construction. Brouilette's two-day visit is a strong indicator that the White House will continue to emphasize the importance of fossil fuel jobs.
"Instead of continuing to hand out money to frackers and petrochemical corporations, Pennsylvania could create a real, worker-centered recovery by investing in clean energy manufacturing. This research shows that clean energy outperforms fossil fuels when it comes to putting Pennsylvanians to work," said Food & Water Watch Research Director Alison Grass. "Political leaders in the state must create the policies that will grow these industries, instead of doubling down on fracking's false promises about jobs. For the sake of giving workers a stable future, protecting public health, and making real strides in the fight against climate chaos, the choice is clear: Clean energy jobs can deliver far more good jobs for Pennsylvania."
While political pundits regularly tout the jobs bonanza created by the gas industry in Pennsylvania, Food & Water Watch finds that the state's fracking boom produced an increase of just 18,000 jobs in the industry -- and that figure predates the recent slump in the fossil fuel industry. Drillers have been shedding thousands of jobs in the state, especially after the COVID pandemic.
Meanwhile, job growth in the renewable industries in Pennsylvania has been encouraging: New research commissioned by the Department of Environmental Protection shows that employment in the wind and solar sectors grew by almost 9 percent between 2017 and 2019, while gas and coal jobs have declined.
Given the unmistakable drop in fossil fuel employment, the Food & Water Watch report recommends that Pennsylvania can create a just transition with a comprehensive, New Deal-scale green public works program that will deliver economic benefits for working people through a large-scale buildout of publicly owned renewable electricity.
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
(202) 683-2500LATEST NEWS
'Blood Is on Your Hands!' Activists Disrupt $26 Million Biden Fundraiser
"We will continue to raise our voices of dissent until Palestinians are free," said one activist with Jewish Voice for Peace.
Mar 29, 2024
Palestinian youth and descendants of Holocaust survivors were among those who protested a record-breaking fundraiser for President Joe Biden's reelection campaign at New York City's Radio City Music Hall late Thursday, repeatedly interrupting the glitzy event with shouts of opposition to Israel's U.S.-backed war on Gaza.
"You are all complicit in genocide!" one activist yelled as security escorted her from the venue. As Biden spoke, another demonstrator shouted: "Palestinians are dying because of your actions... Blood is on your hands!"
The president said during his remarks that there have been "too many innocent victims, Israeli and Palestinian."
"It's understandable Israel has such a profound anger and Hamas is still there," Biden said. "But we must, in fact, stop the effort that is resulting in significant deaths of innocent civilians, particularly children."
BREAKING: Palestinian youth, descendants of Holocaust survivors, doctors, and climate activists disrupt the biggest fundraiser in the history of the Democratic Party at NYC’s iconic Radio City Music Hall calling on @POTUS to Stop Arming Israel pic.twitter.com/qcIKOtxhbj
— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) March 29, 2024
The disruption was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the Palestinian Youth Movement, and other advocacy groups. JVP said some ticketholders were denied entry to the fundraiser. In recent weeks, the Biden campaign has worked to shield the president from Gaza-related protests by holding smaller rallies and carefully vetting attendees.
"We refused to be silenced," Jay Saper of JVP said Thursday. "We will continue to raise our voices of dissent until Palestinians are free."
In a statement late Thursday, the Biden campaign didn't acknowledge the protests, calling the gathering of celebrities and high-profile Democratic figures—including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama—"the most successful political fundraising event in the history of American politics."
The event raised a staggering $26 million for the incumbent president's reelection bid against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, Biden's campaign said. Ticket prices ranged from $225 to $500,000.
"More money got donors more intimate time with the presidents," according toThe Associated Press. "A photo with all three was $100,000. A donation of $250,000 earned donors access to one reception, and $500,000 got them into an even more exclusive gathering."
Outside the venue, Palestinian rights advocates marched in the streets to condemn Biden's unwavering support for Israel's military as it massacres and starves Gazans.
"Joe Biden has been enabling the genocide," Jacob Sierra, a 27-year-old protest attendee, toldThe New York Times. Sierra said he is a registered Democrat and voted for Biden in 2020.
A Gallup poll released earlier this week showed that an overwhelming majority of Democratic voters, including young people and other key elements of the Democratic base, oppose Israel's military assault on the Gaza Strip. The survey found that just 18% of Democratic voters currently approve of Israel's war, down from 36% in November.
Scenes from Biden's fundraiser in NY.
This previews what will happen at the Democratic Convention in August.
While running on a platform of saving American democracy from Trump, Biden is tearing the Democratic party apart with his blind support for Israel's slaughter in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/u0w2JypBEF
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) March 29, 2024
Widespread outrage over Biden's diplomatic and military support for Israel's assault has sparked mounting concerns among some Democratic donors and activists.
Last week, more than 100 of them signed a letter warning that "because of the disillusionment of a critical portion of the Democratic coalition, the Gaza war is increasing the chances of a Trump victory."
"We are asking the Biden administration immediately to change course," the party donors and activists wrote. "Conditions need to be placed and monitored on any further military, financial, or diplomatic aid. All indiscriminate bombing and demolition must stop."
Keep ReadingShow Less
To Push for Bold Treaty, Greenpeace Unveils Biden's Plastic Legacy Monument
"He can be the president who put an end to the plastic pollution crisis, or he can be the one who let it spiral out of control."
Mar 28, 2024
Inspired by Atlas, who in Greek mythology carried the heavens on his shoulders, Greenpeace installed a 15-foot monument outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday to pressure the Biden administration to support an ambitious global plastics treaty.
President Joe Biden "has the chance to cement a lasting legacy: He can be the president who put an end to the plastic pollution crisis, or he can be the one who let it spiral out of control," Greenpeace oceans director John Hocevar said in a statement. "We're calling on him to stand up to plastic polluters like Exxon and Dow and put us on a greener and healthier path."
The third round of treaty talks ended in Kenya late last year with little progress—largely thanks to fossil fuel and chemical lobbyists along with allied governments. The next round of negotiations is set to be held in Canada next month.
The "Biden's Plastic Legacy" monument features the president kneeling and holding up an Earth full of plastic. The base has a written message: "Biden, the world's in your hands. Is this your plastic legacy?"
"Plastic pollution is everywhere, impacting every aspect of our lives. It affects our health, harms our communities, and fuels the climate crisis."
The statue's unveiling ceremony included remarks from Dr. Leo Trasande, a world-renowned environmental health researcher at New York University, and Jo Banner, who lives in Louisiana's Cancer Alley and co-directs the Descendants Project, an environmental justice group.
"The communities of color that live among the plastic manufacturers are first in line for the toxic mix of pollution they produce," said Banner. "Our health, bodies, and communities matter. We refuse to be treated as a mere checkmark on a list of concerns, and we cannot continue to be sacrificial zones."
"We need President Biden to truly listen to our needs and help create a strong global plastics treaty that protects communities like ours," she added. "We must ensure that Cancer Alley is confined to the past, not a part of the future we gift our children."
Trasande noted that in addition to the public health argument for cleaning up the plastic industry, there's an economic one.
"The chemicals found in plastics cost our economy hundreds of billions of dollars because of increases in disease and disability," the doctor said. "The easiest way to stop these diseases is to address plastic production, and a strong global treaty is essential, for people here in the U.S. and around the world."
Research has repeatedly shown the pervasiveness of plastic pollution. A January study found that there are 240,000 plastic particles in the average liter of bottled water. Last September, researchers discovered microplastics in clouds, potentially "contaminating nearly everything we eat and drink via 'plastic rainfall.'"
A 2022 Greenpeace report revealed that U.S. households "generated an estimated 51 million tons of plastic waste" the previous year, and the vast majority ended up in landfills or as pollution.
"Plastic pollution is everywhere, impacting every aspect of our lives. It affects our health, harms our communities, and fuels the climate crisis," Greenpeace campaigner Kate Melges said Thursday.
"The global plastics treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a cleaner, safer planet," Melges argued. "President Biden must rise to this moment by supporting a strong plastics treaty that prioritizes human health, cuts production, and ensures a just transition for workers and communities."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Justice Is Delayed' as Judges OK Rigged South Carolina Map for Elections
"I'm disappointed it appears 30,000 people lost their political voice and nobody seems to care," said one Democratic congressional candidate from the affected district.
Mar 28, 2024
Voting rights defenders on Thursday decried a federal panel's
decision to let South Carolina use a congressional map the three judges found to be racially gerrymandered in this year's primary and general elections due to the U.S. Supreme Court's delayed resolution of the case.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for South Carolina in Columbia ruled last August that "race was the predominant motivating factor" in the Republican-controlled state Legislature's design of the 1st Congressional District "and that traditional districting principles subordinated to race."
Their ruling, which ordered the redrawing of the map, noted that "Charleston County was racially gerrymandered and over 30,000 African Americans were removed from their home district."
"Make no mistake—these discriminatory maps are a direct attempt to suppress Black voices ahead of a consequential election."
In their new decision, the judges acknowledged the awkward predicament of ordering the use of an unconstitutional map.
"But with the primary election procedures rapidly approaching, the appeal before the Supreme Court still pending, and no remedial plan in place, the ideal must bend to the practical," they asserted.
Brenda Murphy, president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, said: "Make no mistake—these discriminatory maps are a direct attempt to suppress Black voices ahead of a consequential election. We will not stand idly by as the rights of thousands of South Carolinians continue to be overlooked."
"The court's ruling today, further delaying these proceedings, continues to tip the scale of justice during a crucial moment in our democracy in an undemocratic attempt to sway the outcome of the upcoming election," Murphy added. "We must strive for a system where every voice is heard and every vote counts, free from the stain of discrimination."
Last October, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case, which was filed in 2021 by the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and voter Taiwan Scott. They are represented by the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU of South Carolina, Boroughs Bryant LLC, Arnold & Porter, and the General Counsel's Office of the NAACP.
As Democracy Docket noted Thursday: "The parties asked the Supreme Court for a decision by January 1, 2024. Nearly three months later, the court still hasn't ruled on the case, creating a dire situation for congressional candidates as the candidate filing period started on March 16 and will end on Monday."
Joshua Douglas, a professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, said on social media that "someone should write an article about the number of times jurisdictions have been allowed to use an illegal map because there's 'not enough time' to create a fair, legal one."
Douglas noted states where this has occurred, including Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio, North Carolina, "and now South Carolina."
South Carolina primary voters will head to the polls on June 11.
The 1st Congressional District is represented by Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Republican. On Thursday, she toldThe Post and Courier that the judges' ruling "makes sense."
"It's only fair candidates know what the lines are," Mace said. "For us, I just want to know what constituents I'm serving."
Michael B. Moore, a Democrat running for the seat, called the decision "regrettable."
"I'm disappointed it appears 30,000 people lost their political voice," he said, "and nobody seems to care."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular