GOVERNMENT ACOUNTING GIMMICKS SHOW FAR MORE GREEN JOBS THAN ACTUALLY EXIST

WASHINGTON, JUNE 18, 2012 – “As the federal government funds ‘green’ energy projects, we need to see if these programs are working and what is the return for taxpayers,” said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.  “Recently, the failure of Solyndra and other firms that benefited from the Obama Administration’s green jobs agenda show the risks to taxpayers.  In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a report on the number of green jobs, but the report used overly broad definitions of what a green job is as well as other gimmicks to increase the number.  We need a better of idea on the state of green jobs in our nation.”

On Tuesday, June 19, 2012, at 10:15 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing entitled “The Federal Green Jobs Agenda.”

Witnesses:

Molly F. Sherlock, Ph.D., Specialist in Public Finance, Government and Finance Division, Congressional Research Service;

Kenneth P. Green, D.Env., Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute;

David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., Research Fellow in Energy Economics and Climate Change, The Heritage Foundation; 

W. David Montgomery, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, NERA Economic Consulting; and

Michael Breen, Vice President, Truman National Security Project.