President Biden’s Promised Clean Energy Jobs Won’t Materialize Until After His Administration

May 27, 2021

President Biden’s administration has made it clear the oil and gas industry is not one valued as vital to the United States economy or workforce. Having pushed environmental policy after policy aimed at tearing down the industry, it is clear this administration has waged war on the sector. The Washington Post has been tracking Biden’s environmental actions since stepping into office, and thus far: 22 new environmental protections have been added, 11 proposed, 34 of Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks have been overturned, and another 68 of those rollbacks have been targeted. 

The oil and gas industry brings in billions in revenue, supports almost 10 million American jobs, and provides the United States our energy independence that ensures our national security. Yet, Biden has ignored all those benefits and pushed climate policies that are depleting high-paying American energy jobs, energy-rich communities’ budgets that depend on the industry and pushing our energy dependence overseas.

Reuters reports:

Offshore wind project developers plan to ship massive blades, towers and other components for at least the initial wave of U.S. projects from factories in France, Spain and elsewhere before potentially opening up manufacturing plants on U.S. shores, according to Reuters interviews with executives from three of the world’s leading wind turbine makers.

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That underscores an uncomfortable truth for the Biden administration as it seeks to show political opponents that a transition away from fossil fuels to fight climate change can be good for the economy: many of the clean energy jobs he aims to create to offset losses in drilling and mining may not materialize until well after his time in the White House ends.

So, Biden’s proposed clean energy transition that he has promised will bring clean energy jobs to the U.S. to replace the thousands of fossil fuel jobs his administration has taken away already is not true, at least not under his administration. Shocker. In fact, according to Shashi Barla, an analyst at consultancy Wood Mackenzie, U.S.-based factories will not materialize until 2024 or 2025. After that, Barla said he expects the U.S. supply chain to develop and make around 70% of major components for the industry by 2030.

In a previous blog post, Power The Future reported:

According to Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, the U.S. oil and gas industry posted a net decline of 160,323 jobs due to lower demand in 2020. These jobs pay $133,601 on average, with 20% filled by women. 

Biden has continued to wreak havoc on the industry, displacing even more fossil fuel workers across the U.S. while promising clean energy jobs as “better” choices according to John Kerry, Biden’s Climate Czar.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that solar power technicians make $43,000 and wind turbine technicians earn $53,000 annually. In other words, these new “high-paying jobs” pay $60,000 to $70,000 less than their oil and gas counterparts. This is a significant wage gap to close by any standard.

So even in 2030, nine years from now, when these clean energy jobs Biden has promised finally materialize, the American energy workers who were displaced by his administration will have the option to apply for 77,000 U.S.-based jobs, far less than the number of jobs the oil and gas industry provides, as long as they are willing and able to take a more than half less than their prior salary. Thanks, Biden!