The study, released by the Black and Veatch consulting firm, found that increasing the renewable energy requirements in the state's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act could lead to the creation of up to 211,000 new jobs.
Pennsylania Governor Edward Rendell approved of the report saying that as the economy recovered at a slow pace, finding ways to increase employment through the formation of more types of clean energy could help to speed up the still-lagging job market in the state.
"If we intensify our efforts to build a green economy, we can get people back to work sooner, attract billions of dollars in investment to the state, help families and businesses save money, and clean our environment," Rendell said. "As this study clearly shows, shifting towards a clean, green economy is a win for our workforce and our economy on all fronts."
Rendell committed that the state would look to adding requirements to the AEPSA to make it similar to other states' green energy policies. The act was originally enacted in 2004 and currently requires at least 18.5 percent of the retail electricity sold in Pennsylvania to be generated by alternative and renewable resources by 2021.
