Strong Wind for State's Economy

July 10, 2009

Study: Desert Claim Wind Power Would Create 282 Jobs & $33m in First-Year Economic Activity; 36 Jobs & $6.2m Ongoing EFSEC to Hold Final Hearings July 13 in Ellensburg, July 21 in Seattle ELLENSBURG, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Desert Claim Wind Power project will create 282 jobs and generate more than $33 million in new economic activity throughout Washington state in the year it is constructed, an ECONorthwest study estimates. Once in operation, Desert Claim will create 36 jobs and $6.2 million in new economic activity statewide annually, the study also estimates. Economic activity includes all purchases of goods and services, payroll and income from jobs generated by the wind farm’s construction and operation. "Our study shows that the Desert Claim project will have a significant impact on the economy, particularly during the construction phase," said Stephen Grover, a managing director at the economics consulting firm ECONorthwest and author of the Desert Claim statewide economic impact study. "With Washington's unemployment rate currently above 9 percent, Desert Claim will help sustain jobs in the hard-hit construction sector and create new renewable-energy jobs once the wind farm is in operation."

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