The states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) today announced the results of the first quarterly auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances in 2010. The auction, held Wednesday, March 10th, yielded $87,956,944.56 for investment in the clean energy economy.
All of the 40,612,408 CO2 allowances for the first three-year control period (2009-2011) offered in Wednesday’s auction sold at a price of $2.07.
...Proceeds from all auctions held to date now total more than $582.3 million. States are investing proceeds to improve energy efficiency and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies, creating thousands of jobs.
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Across the region, businesses are hiring workers to implement the growing variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs funded with RGGI CO2 allowance proceeds.In particular, companies that conduct energy audits and install home weatherization measures are expanding to meet the demand for efficiency services. The workforce at the Center for Ecological Technology, a company that conducts RGGI-funded efficiency work on behalf of electric utilities in New England, has doubled over the last year, from 50 to 100 full-time employees, according to Laura Dubester, the company’s Co-Director. New positions range from field technicians and quality control personnel to IT and customer service specialists.
In related news, higher electricity costs (e.g., $583 million) decreases product supply and labor demand. Reduced labor demand actually reduces employment in energy-intensive sectors.
However, let's don't mention that because it interferes with the propaganda machine.
