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BY PATRICK GUINANE
pguinane@nwitimes.com
317.637.9078 | Thursday, July 31, 2008 | (4 comment(s))
INDIANAPOLIS | Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson on Wednesday pitched a Green Jobs Initiative designed to create more than 32,000 new jobs.
The former congresswoman, who is seeking to unseat Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, said she would redirect $45 million a year in general state job incentives to clean technology projects. She also wants to encourage greater private investment in solar and wind power.
"I think we have to take a different approach to creating green jobs that will be good-paying and that will help our economy and -- just as significant -- will be of help to our environment," Long Thompson said."I believe with the right leadership, we can turn Indiana green."
Long Thompson would offer an additional tax credit of $500 per job to companies that create "green" jobs, a term she has yet to define. And she wants to require state government to buy biofuel-friendly vehicles and build energy-efficient buildings.
"It's very important the state of Indiana lead by example, and I will make sure the state does that," she said.
Daniels, vying for a second term in November, recently signed an executive order calling for the Indiana Department of Administration to develop energy efficiency guidelines for new state buildings. And more than 3,500 of the 71,000 job-creation commitments the Daniels administration has secured since 2005 can be considered "green" jobs, said Mitch Frazier, spokesman for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
"We care a great deal about this sector and have announced several 'green' projects since 2005," Frazier said. " We also have several more that we are currently in negotiations with that have the promise of new jobs and new capacity for this growing sector."
The Republican governor made boosting biofuel production an early focus of his administration, and Indiana has welcomed 11 new ethanol or biodiesel plants the past three years.
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JTV wrote on Jul 31, 2008 1:19 PM:
Mitch already did that wrote on Jul 31, 2008 11:04 AM:
Scissorhand wrote on Jul 31, 2008 9:42 AM:
She wants our vote wrote on Jul 31, 2008 9:03 AM: