Clean-Energy Investment Could Boost Arkansas Economy, Reports Say

Several environmental and energy groups released reports Thursday that detail what clean energy and climate legislation moving through Congress could mean for the state.

The new data show that a $1.3 billion investment in clean energy would create 18,000 new jobs in Arkansas; a $332 million investment in Little Rock would create 3,707 jobs; and a $304 million investment in Arkansas's 4th Congressional District would create 3,435 jobs.

Both of the complementary reports prepared by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Center for American Progress, Green For All, and the Natural Resources Defense Council outline how investment in a clean-energy economy will produce significant economic and job creation benefits.

"These reports show that investing in the clean-energy economy will create new jobs right here in Arkansas and provide opportunities for lower-income families," said Mina Collins, president of a new organization called Growing Up Green. "We can create jobs while we reduce global warming pollution and cut our dependence on foreign oil."