Does the town of Holcomb, Kansas sound familiar?

I’m sure it does if you’ve read “In Cold Blood,” or seen the movies based on the book and its author Truman Capote.

In a perverted way that negative association has been somewhat of a godsend. People remember Holcomb; they immediately recall it as the place where a senseless and unspeakable crime was committed.

Unfortunately, it looks like Holcomb may be preparing for a sequel, featuring yet another heinous act. This time it involves the attempts of Sunflower Electric Corp.—along with several lawmakers—to force an expansion of the power company’s Holcomb facilities, which would include two hazardous coal-burning electric plants.

Call it “In Coal Blood,” if you will (sorry…if you hear a churning noise under your feet it’s probably just Mr. Capote spinning in his grave like a rotisserie chicken).

Back in October, Rod Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, with the support of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, rejected the air permits for the company’s proposed pair of 700-megawatt coal-burning electric plants, citing the devastating impact emissions from carbon dioxide—and other greenhouse gases—would have on the environment.

In other words, it was the first time a proposed power plant had been rejected by using a “global warming” defense. This defense certainly wasn’t far-fetched. After all, the proposed plants would spew some 11 million tons of CO2 annually, making them the largest new source of such emissions in the nation.

But, of course, the battle didn’t end there.

Sunflower Electric and its supporters in the state legislature continue to try and ram this project down our throats. They insist it is needed to meet rising energy demands in western Kansas; they also argue that it will lead to much-needed economic development in one of the poorest regions of the state.

Or as Greg Brady look-alike Sen. Sam Brownback recently put it:

“Expansion of the Sunflower facility would have created 2,000 jobs during construction and an additional 400 permanent jobs and billions of dollars in economic development.”

Two thousand temporary jobs and 400 permanent ones—is that all we get for destroying the planet? Well, heck, throw in 30 pieces of silver and you got yourself a deal!

Then again, I’m sure Brownback’s job estimates are low. After all, several other jobs might be created as a result of this expansion, namely hospital receptionists, pulmonary specialists, insurance claims adjusters…

Moreover, proponents also fail to emphasize that Kansans will only receive about 10 percent of the energy generated from the plants; the remaining 90 percent will be shipped off to Colorado and Texas. They conveniently overlook the fact that all of the waste—namely mercury dumped in the water—will remain right here in Kansas.

Perhaps that, too, will create more jobs: water inspectors, Hazmat workers, not to mention the voluntary citizen soldiers needed to fight off the giant mutant fish that will threaten to take over Kansas by 2011.

Still, even Sammy B. realizes that coal alone is not the answer:

“The new coal plants would be part of an integrated bioenergy center that would have significant benefits for the environment. For example, much of the carbon produced by the coal plants would be captured and used to grow algae, which would be crushed to make biodiesel. Ethanol, another renewable fuel, would be produced onsite by using methane gas from livestock facilities.”

So let me get this straight: we only need 10 percent of the energy a plant like this would generate, and we know that alternative methods (proposed only as supplemental energy) are available, and yet we want to go ahead and produce far more than we need simply so a corporation can cut a deal with two other states, all while destroying our own water. Sounds like a plan to me!

Let’s be honest here, the plant is not about meeting surging energy demands; it’s about making money. We could meet the energy demands with a combination of alternative methods that, while not perfect, would leave a far smaller carbon footprint—I mean, Brownback didn’t even mention wind energy, which capitalizes on one of our state’s greatest natural resources.

But all of that is a hard sell to the folks of western Kansas. Times are hard in rural America.

We can—and should—argue that the coal plants are not in the best interest of the folks out west, but we need to do more than simply shoot down the proposal. We need to offer them something concrete in its place. What that entails exactly is beyond my tiny brain, but I imagine it would require bringing politicians, environmentalists, alternative energy experts, and western Kansans together to show that alternative energy and jobs can be had through far less damaging means—and that the two concepts are anything but mutually exclusive.

I hope that Holcomb eventually shakes off its reputation as the setting for one of the most brutal crimes depicted in American literature. Here’s to hoping it comes to represent the small town of the future—one that simultaneously respects the environment and the needs of its residents.

There. I think I finally made Mr. Capote stop spinning.

Renewable energy businesses are booming, but they’re competing quite intensely for talented people. Writing for Renewable Energy Access, Dawn Dzurilla noted that the “triple bottom line” of People, Planet, and Profit are motivating job seekers to enter the industry. Its rapid growth and challenging opportunities are keeping people in this cutting-edge career.

There are several colleges and universities around the country offering cleantech-related programs, like wind turbine maintenance. The University of Oregon has become the first in the U.S. to offer a course in renewable energy law. It’s a part of its sustainable business certificate program to train students for careers in environmentally friendly industries. The state has identified cleantech and renewable energy as “vital” to the economic development of the state, so it’s taking steps to train its workforce in that field.

KTVZ.com (Portland, OR)
Renewable Energy Access

Coal is as riddled through this living tradition as the seams in the hills. The region is rich in the history and dirges surrounding the mines. The winding county roads that lead into the mines are lined with the physical community: the brick homes of skilled labor, double-wide trailers, and a few burnt down shacks. They live on a narrow strip of land between mountain sides and muddied creeks, or perhaps “in town”, the next valley over. Until recently these were forgotten, unpaved roads. No longer: civilization has encroached.

Walmart and McDonalds have arrived with a fresh four-lane road that leads to I-75. The new business promised a new way of life, namely the life that the rest of the world was supposedly living while miners labored underground. But the new jobs pay less than the mine work, and civilization added demons to the community instead of exorcising them. Ten years ago the burnt-out shacks along the road were over-achieving liquor stills. Now they’re meth labs. The world betrayed their trust upon arrival. Is it any wonder then that these mountain towns are hot spots for drug abuse and snake handling? How would you react if you were trapped between the steady stone of the mines and unsafe waters of the outside world? Who would you trust?

I asked my father about employment in the mines. Could a high-school drop out rise through the ranks to skilled labor? “Sure,” he replied, “We’d start a kid out driving trucks. If he could be trusted we’d move him up to operating machinery or something. Problem is now days, I can’t get any good kids on staff. Eighty percent fail the drug test.”

Coal is a complicated issue, and not all of it is environmental. We must always remember that the environment and society move hand-in-hand. If we want to reduce the role of coal in this country, we need to offer these mountain communities a viable alternative. A huge 4-wheeler park recently opened near the mines. The remote wilderness has attracted outdoor enthusiasts from across the east coast. The unspoiled forest with its wild turkey, deer, bear, and elk have already raked in over a million dollars for the local community. Alternatives exist, and if the people can see the path clearly, they will leave their narrow road to forge a new one - but only on their own terms.

If you cruise the various “Green Job Boards” (see a list below) you may be inclined to agree. The boards are littered with jobs in every field around the country. California, Washington DC and New York City are hot spots for these positions.The national job boards often do not include local listings. The local job market cannot be underestimated, as an area like the Baltimore/DC metro corridor encompasses millions of businesses and local job seekers. Even my native Chattanooga, TN boasts a cut of the green economy. The city is proud of its electric bus fleet and Riverpark and they help boost the local economy.

This past August I felt elated as I sat down to career search in the green economy. As a college grad with a double-major from a prestigious liberal arts college and a year of international working experience, I thought it wouldn’t take long (a month or two) before I landed a “green” job. The afore-mentioned reports gave me that hope we idealistic youth grow out of as reality sets in, but it has been four months with two interviews. Reality is come. There will always be some positions available, but I’m referring to a boom in growth. I’d like to pose this question to the blog sphere. Has the recent economic downturn sapped the surge? Do we need government subsidies or will new advances provide all the impetus we need?

 Job search sites with the environment in mind: 

http://www.greenbiz.com/jobs/ 

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/

http://www.greenjobs.com/Public/Index.aspx 

http://www.ecoemploy.com/

http://www.simplyhired.com/a/special-searches/eco-friendly

http://www.environmentalcareer.info/jobseekers/search.asp 

(image courtesy of  celsias.com)

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Census was published by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a quasi-public agency that runs a renewable energy trust fund of green power projects. The study found that clean energy industry had a 26 percent increase in jobs and now accounts for more than 14,000 jobs in the state. Those jobs are expected to grow three times faster than any other major industry, adding about 3,000 jobs in 2007. The next biggest increase was in the scientific, technical, and management services sector with an increase of 5.4 percent.

Three hundred and two companies, government agencies, and university research centers responded to the survey. Those in the renewable energy category said they will increase staff by an average of 30 percent in the next 12 months, while the energy efficiency sector will add an average of 25 percent more employees.

High fossil fuels costs and venture capital funding are contributing to the strong clean energy performance, as well as politicians and a public wanting action on global warming emissions.

"… I know that we can achieve the goals of becoming energy independent and reducing our global warming emissions. But the strength of our nation’s economy depends on the availability of a highly skilled and well-trained work force. This legislation is an opportunity to advance not only the energy security of our nation, but also the economic security of our families.”