Mills Claims Maine “Clean Energy” Jobs Surpass 15k – But She’s Counting CMP and Versant Employees – The Maine Wire

Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) announced the release of an independent study which claims that her renewable energy push has driven significant growth in the state’s economy.

The study, released Wednesday, cost taxpayers $35,000 according to the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) which commissioned it.

“We are putting Maine people to work in rewarding, good-paying jobs that, in turn, are contributing billions to the state’s economy while helping to stabilize energy costs for households and businesses and reduce emissions that are harming our environment,” said Mills.

The new study, conducted by the BW Research Partnership, claims that Mills’ renewable energy push has led to a $2.3 billion boost to the economy.

The study, however, defines renewable energy extremely broadly, admitting any company working in “Electric Power Distribution” as a renewable energy company, meaning that the economic growth cited by Mills is not restricted to companies dedicated to renewable energy, and includes energy utilities among other businesses.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) passage cited by BW Research specifically mentions Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power (CMP), the largest power utility in the state.

According to the study, renewable energy made up 3 percent of the state’s total economic output as of 2022.

The study also claimed that, from 2016-2022, Maine had the fastest growing renewable energy industry in the country, and that Maine’s renewable energy sector grew three times faster than the broader economy.

Mills also highlighted the study’s report that Maine currently has 15,000 people working in the renewable energy industry.

Currently, Mills’ environmental goals demand that 30,000 Mainers hold renewable energy jobs by 2030; and Mills claims that the current number puts the state in line to meet its goal.

However, if the study only counted people working directly with renewable energy, or even companies primarily focused on clean energy, the job numbers would be significantly lower.

According to the study, “clean energy workers” can include carpenters, roofers, electricians, office clerks, and cost estimators, among numerous other professions.

The number of people working in those professions vastly outstrip the numbers of people working directly with “renewable energy” sources, such as solar installers and wind turbine repairmen, which only have 109 ad 50 workers respectively.

BW Research also highlighted the “diversity” in Maine’s renewable energy industry, celebrating the higher percentage of non-white workers than other industries, while lamenting the fact that only one-quarter of the industry is made up by women.

The company focuses on renewable energy related research projects, and, although it claims not to allow pre-defined narratives to influence the results of its projects, it also has a commitment to transitioning to a “clean energy economy.”

“BW Research has a resolute commitment to equity and believes that the transition to a clean economy can present substantial economic opportunity for all, and particularly those who have been historically disadvantaged,” said BW Research.

That message comes as part of the company’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitment, where the company commits to ensuring that benefits from renewable energy are shared “equitably”, and brag about the percentage of its workers who are non-white or women.

The Maine Wire reached out to the GEO, asking whether they believed the study to be honest, given that it included companies not involved in renewable energy, but the GEO did not immediately respond.

[RELATED: Republicans Want Nuclear Power Back in Maine…]

As Mills continues to push forward with her solar and wind power programs, while funding a study which uses a broad definition to make her policies appear to benefit the state, she has consistently opposed the return of nuclear power to Maine.