The expansion of clean energy represents the next major source of economic development and job growth in Washington state, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., said at a conference aimed at promoting rural economic development in the Northwest through clean energy development.
Inslee said that more than 11,000 jobs in the state are associated with the production of clean energy, including hydro, wind, solar, nuclear and biomass. Agriculture and the development of the aerospace and software industries represented the first three waves of job creation in the state, with clean energy technology the newest rung, he said.
Approval of energy legislation is crucial, Inslee said, and not only for job growth and climate protection. America also is in a research and development race with China to create clean energy technology.
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