Guest contributer - Paul Sadler
Paul Sadler is the executive director of the Wind Coalition, and a former Texas state legislator. He responds to the recent comptroller report which he believes did not accurately represent the job creation potential of wind energy.
If we are to believe a recent report from the comptroller’s office (“An Analysis of Texas Economic Development Incentives 2010”), wind energy creates only 500 jobs in Texas.
And if we are to believe another claim by the comptroller’s office, a weekend of Formula One racing at a taxpayer-subsidized track in Austin will bring 5,000 jobs. In other words, even though Texas is the sixth-largest producer of wind energy in the world, with enough installed capacity to power 2.5 million homes, we are supposed to believe it produces one-tenth the number of jobs as expensive cars driving along a track.
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has indicated she does not believe the statute authorizing her report on economic development incentives allows her to look at the total economic impact of wind energy as she did for a Formula One race.
So, let’s introduce some facts missing from the comptroller’s report. (more…)
