SmartPower, a great organization that is creating a vibrant, voluntary market for clean energy, is reminding the public to spend time this weekend thinking about the people who risk their lives to produce traditional fossil fuel energy. With the recent tragedies that have befallen the coal mining industry and all of the inherent dangers within it, SmartPower again states that increasing clean energy consumption can create thousands of new jobs within those sectors alone.

Producing traditional fossil fuel energy is fraught with risks for the workers involved. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Survey of Occupations, mining underground is still one of the most dangerous jobs. In fact, mining is the most perilous industry as a whole to work in, according to the BLS. There were 23.5 deaths in mining for every 100,000 workers in 2002, the BLS said.

“As Labor Day approaches we need to focus attention on the workers who labor everyday to provide us with traditional energy. These men and women risk their lives mining for coal or working on oil rigs to satisfy America’s thirst for fossil fuels,” stated Brian F. Keane, President of SmartPower. “By switching our attitudes and embracing clean and renewable energy, many new and less dangerous jobs will be created by these newly evolving industries,” Keane concluded.

According to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, if the United States were to implement a National Renewable Portfolio Standard of 20 percent by 2020, more than 355,000 jobs would be created if we obtained 20 percent of our electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. Additionally, the switch to clean energy would save families and businesses $49 billion in lower electricity and gas bills.

For more information on the survey, please visit: www.bls.gov

For more information on the Union of Concerned Scientists, please visit: www.ucsusa.org

Happy Labor Day everyone, I will be back on Monday.