GREEN JOB JOLT STRIKES MIDWEST

Contact: Steve Scott, EMS - (605) 272-5398 or Jill Geiger, ELPC (312) 795-3703

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: Thursday, October 31, 2002

The Midwest stands to gain significant jobs and income by switching to renewable energy, a new report released by the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) shows. Job Jolt will highlight the economic boost across the Midwest from transitioning away from current energy sources and towards a combination of wind power, biomass and solar power.

The environmental and health benefits of transitioning away from old, highly polluting coal and nuclear facilities are well documented. But the costs of such a transition were thought to be too great. ELPC commissioned the study by the Regional Economics Application Laboratory (REAL). REAL concludes that implementing Repowering’s Clean Energy Development Plan would have a significant expansionary effect on the Midwest economy: UP TO 210,000 NEW JOBS AND $20 BILLION IN ADDITIONAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT ACROSS THE 10-STATE MIDWEST REGION BY THE YEAR 2020.

Energy Maintenance Service, Inc., Gary, South Dakota with a facility in Howard, SD is profiled as an example of the new jobs and new industries responding to new markets for renewable energy.

WHAT: Job Jolt
WHEN: 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 31, 2002
WHERE: Energy Maintenance Service, Inc. Howard, South Dakota
WHO: Hans Detweiler, Policy Advocate, Environmental Law & Policy Center Steve Scott, Vice President, Energy Maintenance Service, Inc. Jim Burg, South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner