Jun 3 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - John Dorschner The Miami Herald

The movement to a green economy could mean a huge gain for some job categories, according to a study released Tuesday by the University of Massachusetts.

Construction people for building retrofitting, engineers and transportation people for mass transit, welders and many others for energy efficient cars, steel workers for wind power, many assemblers for solar power -- all could benefit by the move to green.

"We do not attempt here to estimate how much growth there is likely to be in any area of green investments or green jobs in the United States," wrote co-authors Robert Pollin and Jeannette Wicks-Lim. "Our aim is much more modest: to simply provide a snapshot of some of the key industries and occupations that will experience increasing growth through green investments."

Many opponents of movements to curb global warming have complained that such measures could cripple global economies, but environmentalists are maintaining that the move to green will offer many opportunities as well.

"Put simply, a green job is one that is contributing to fighting global warming and building a green economy," the authors wrote. "Train operators who currently deliver furniture may one day deliver wind turbine component parts, meaning that their work will be contributing to a green economy that solves global warming."

Patrick Michaels, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, was skeptical of the study. "This report doesn't talk about specific policies and their impact on the overall economy."

Before one can judge the costs and economic benefits, Michaels suggested, "one has to realistically consider what policy would be in place," such as the Lieberman-Warner bill to curb greenhouse gases now being debated in the Senate.

While some environmental groups say that the bill would have a modest effect on the economy, some business groups are predicting dire consequences. "Anything that makes energy extremely expensive is going to lead to substantial job loss," Michaels said. And that would have to be considered when examining how many jobs might be created.

In the Massachusetts report, the authors note that lawyers, office clerks, accountants and many others could get employment in green fields, as well as many others.

The authors pointed to the "sheet metal workers who could be building high-performance wind turbines over the next decade." There are about 168,000 such workers in the United States, including 10,000 in Florida.

As demand for their services increase, their pay could go up, the report said, without being specific. Right now in Florida, steel workers are earning $19.17 an hour.

Among those who could benefit in Florida are electricians, earning $17.51 an hour now, construction managers at $37.36, bus drivers at $14.06, welders at $15.48 and industrial truck drivers at $12.16.