{"id":2945,"date":"2011-09-30T14:09:04","date_gmt":"2011-09-30T19:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2011-09-30T14:09:04","modified_gmt":"2011-09-30T19:09:04","slug":"let%e2%80%99s-clear-the-air-epa-pollution-standards-will-create-new-jobs-while-protecting-public-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2011\/09\/30\/let%e2%80%99s-clear-the-air-epa-pollution-standards-will-create-new-jobs-while-protecting-public-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Clear the Air: EPA Pollution Standards Will Create New Jobs While Protecting Public Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opponents of the Clean Air Act have been yelling that this law\u2019s life-saving\u00a0health protections\u00a0are \u201cjob killers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just for a moment, let\u2019s ignore the fact that these regulations improve public health and safety and save our lives<\/em>. It is untrue that\u00a0these regulations\u00a0kill jobs.<\/p>\n

In fact, just two small parts of the Clean Air Act — EPA\u2019s Cross-state Air Pollution and Mercury and Air Toxics rules — would together create nearly 1.5 million jobs over the next five years<\/a><\/strong> driven by new investments.<\/p>\n

EPA\u2019s new air pollution standards would limit sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and other unhealthy pollutants that are in the air we breathe. Meeting the new standards, and lowering our air pollution levels, will result in investments in new pollution control equipment and power plants. It will also result in jobs for skilled professionals to do the work of installing and operating that equipment. That means jobs for electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, iron workers and engineers<\/strong> \u2013 among others.<\/p>\n

Among the economic beneficiaries would be the American companies that make pollution control equipment like scrubbers, dry sorbent injectors, and selective catalytic reducers. Take a look at this map:<\/p>\n

\"Pollution<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Click to view full-size map<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The map is \u00a0by no means comprehensive, but it shows some of the companies in the eastern half of the U.S. that are poised to benefit under EPA\u2019s rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Case Study in Job Creation from Installing Pollution Control Equipment <\/strong><\/p>\n

Alstom Power\u2019s James Yann testified <\/a>before the U.S. Senate\u2019s Subcommittee on Clean Air and Jobs in March of this year.<\/p>\n

He described some of the jobs created from just one example of a pollution control technology \u2013 a wet flue gas desulfurization \u201cscrubber\u201d that is commonly used to remove sulfur and other air pollutants.<\/p>\n

Dependent on the number of scrubbers ultimately installed, Alstom estimates that these clean air regulations will create a total of more than 150,000 jobs <\/strong>over the next five\u00a0to six years of compliance work. That\u2019s just for direct jobs. In addition, tens of thousands of additional jobs would be created along the supply chain.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s more details to show how it works:\u00a0<\/p>\n