We must transition to a clean energy economy

As our representatives pivot from COVID-19 emergency response to economic recovery, we risk wasting taxpayer dollars on a stimulus that deepens inequality and sustains a reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, we need a green recovery that will allow those who have lost their jobs to the COVID-19 recession to find local, career-track, green jobs.

Humboldt County is ideally situated to generate prodigious amounts of clean energy from offshore wind; in the process of building, operating, and maintaining offshore wind turbines, we will require a highly skilled and trained workforce in building, construction, and maritime trades. And that’s just the beginning. To tackle climate change, we will need workers who can retrofit buildings, restore streams and wildlands, install electric vehicle charging stations, upgrade our streets to make them safe for bicyclists and pedestrians, and more.

We must completely transition to a clean energy economy over the next few decades. If done right, this transition can make our community safer, more prosperous, and more equitable. Achieving these goals will require coordination between all levels of government. We need a green stimulus at the federal level. At the local level, we need to do the planning necessary to line up shovel-ready projects and ensure that federal funds are invested wisely.

Thank you, — Katy Gurin, steering committee member, 350 Humboldt