[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12571-12573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5705]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Comment Request
AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, DOL.
ACTION: Notice of solicitation of comments.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is responsible for
developing and implementing the collection of new data on green jobs.
The resulting information will assist policymakers in planning policy
initiatives and understanding their impact on the labor market, and
will facilitate the monitoring of labor market developments related to
protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. BLS
activities also will be useful to State labor market information
offices in their efforts to meet the need for information for State
policymakers, businesses, and job seekers.
BLS is currently soliciting comments on the definition BLS will use
in measuring green jobs, the industry list, or any other aspect of the
information provided in this Notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before April 30, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Richard Clayton, Office of Industry
Employment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4840, 2
Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212 or by e-mail to:
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Clayton, Office of Industry
Employment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, telephone number
202-691-5185 (this is not a toll-free number), or by e-mail to:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
BLS is responsible for developing and implementing the collection
of new data on green jobs. The goal is to develop information on: (1)
The number of and trend over time in green jobs, (2) the industrial,
occupational, and geographic distribution of the jobs, and (3) the
wages of the workers in these jobs.
The resulting information will assist policymakers in planning
policy initiatives and understanding their impact on the labor market,
and will facilitate the monitoring of labor market developments related
to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. BLS
activities also will be useful to State labor market information
offices in their efforts to meet the need for information for State
policymakers, businesses, and job seekers.
There is no widely accepted standard definition of ``green jobs.''
While this topic is of interest across government, academia, and the
business community, various studies define the term differently. BLS
reviewed a wide range of studies, including several surveys conducted
by State Workforce Agencies and work conducted internationally. BLS
also consulted with a variety of stakeholders, including Federal
agencies, the State labor market information offices, and industry
groups. The common thread through the studies and discussions is that
green jobs are jobs related to preserving or restoring the environment.
Several categories of green economic activity are nearly universally
cited: renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution prevention and
clean-up, and natural resources conservation.
The studies reviewed showed that neither of the standard
classification systems used in BLS data, the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) and the Standard Occupational
Classification (SOC), identifies a green or environmental grouping of
industries or occupations.
In response to the challenge of defining green jobs, BLS has
adopted the approach of identifying environmental economic activity and
counting the associated jobs. These jobs will be found across a range
of industries and occupations.
BLS plans to use two approaches in identifying environmental
economic activity and measuring associated jobs: (1) The output
approach, which identifies establishments that produce green goods and
services and counts the associated jobs, and (2) the process approach,
which identifies establishments that use environmentally-friendly
production processes and practices and counts the associated jobs.
In the output approach, BLS is concerned with jobs related to
producing a specific set of goods and services, and is not concerned
with the environmental impact of the production process. The output
approach alone, however, would not cover some activities and associated
jobs that favorably impact the environment although the product or
service produced is itself not ``green.'' The process approach is
intended to address this aspect of green jobs. In the process approach,
BLS is concerned with whether the production process has a favorable
impact on the environment, but not with what good or service is
produced. The process approach is
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relevant to any industry. Each approach requires different measurement
strategies and will tend to count different jobs, with some overlap in
industries that produce green goods and services.
II. Defining and Identifying Green Goods and Services
BLS has worked toward a definition that is objective and
empirically measurable. In addition, because BLS data about jobs are
categorized and described according to industry (product or service
produced) and occupation (type of work performed), the development and
presentation of information on jobs related to green economic activity
will be based on NAICS and SOC. Using these standard classifications
will allow comparison of green jobs data with existing measures of
employment and wages that are based on NAICS or SOC, as well as meet
Office of Management and Budget statistical standards. Within NAICS,
BLS may develop information for more detailed subcategories.
The Bureau's definition of green jobs is based on economic
activity, and does not consider job aspects unrelated to the work
itself, such as wages, union membership, benefits, or career ladders.
However, BLS will produce data on occupational wages; data users may
supplement the BLS green jobs data with data from other sources.
Further, because some data users may make different choices about which
goods and services they prefer to include or exclude from ``green,''
BLS intends to present results by industry, allowing users to choose
those industries needed for their purposes.
In specifying green goods and services, BLS has identified whether
a good or service has a discernible positive impact on the environment
or natural resources conservation. Some goods and services may have
both a positive and a negative impact. BLS has not attempted to assess
the net impact.
Defining green jobs. Broadly defined, green jobs are jobs involved
in economic activities that help protect or restore the environment or
conserve natural resources. These economic activities generally fall
into the following categories:
1. Renewable energy. Research on and development, production,
storage, and distribution of energy (electricity, heat, and fuel) from
renewable sources, including hydropower, wind, biomass (including
biofuels and biogas), geothermal, solar energy, tidal energy, hydrogen
fuel cells, and other renewable sources.
2. Energy efficiency. Research on and development and
implementation of energy conservation technologies and practices,
including production of energy efficient products, cogeneration, and
increasing the energy efficiency of production processes, distribution,
construction, installation, and maintenance.
3. Greenhouse gas reduction. Research on and development and
implementation of technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions through approaches other than renewable energy generation and
energy conservation. Includes generation of electricity from nuclear
sources and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in electricity
generation from fossil fuels.
4. Pollution reduction and cleanup. Research on and development and
implementation of technologies and practices to reduce the emission of
pollutants and remove pollutants and hazardous waste from the
environment.
5. Recycling and waste reduction. Research on and development and
implementation of technologies and practices to collect and recycle
materials and waste water.
6. Agricultural and natural resources conservation. Research on and
development and implementation of technologies and practices to reduce
the environmental impact of agricultural production and improve natural
resources conservation, including reducing use of chemical fertilizers
and pesticides, soil and water conservation, sustainable forestry, land
management, and wildlife conservation.
7. Education, compliance, public awareness, and training.
Activities to increase public awareness of environmental issues;
activities to develop and enforce environmental regulations; and
providing training in the application of ``green'' technologies and
practices.
These economic activities result in the production of green goods
and services. BLS has defined these to include four types:
1. Direct green goods and services. A good or service that is
produced specifically for the purpose of protecting or restoring the
environment or conserving natural resources. (Examples include
pollution control equipment and weatherizing buildings.)
2. Indirect green goods and services. Selected goods and services
not included in 1 above that are produced for another purpose, but when
produced, consumed, or scrapped have a favorable impact on protecting
the environment or conserving natural resources relative to other goods
or services generally used for the same purpose. (Examples include
electricity produced from renewable sources, non-polluting dry cleaning
services, hybrid vehicles, and mercury-free batteries.)
BLS is considering using Federal product ratings or standards,
where they exist, to determine which goods and services to include in
this category. Such standards will be used to provide an objective
method to distinguish green goods and services from other goods or
services generally used for the same purpose. These standards will also
help BLS clearly communicate to respondents what goods and services
they produce that should be reported on the planned survey, and to
communicate to data users what products and services are represented in
the resulting data on associated jobs. Examples of such Federal
standards include USDA Certified Organic and Energy Star. Well
established and widely recognized industry standards also may be used,
to the extent they are objective and empirically measurable. An example
of such an industry standard is the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. A potential
limitation of using these types of labeling programs is that they are
voluntary and some employers may not participate although they may in
fact meet the standards.
Indirect green goods include goods containing recycled inputs, such
as primary metals containing scrap inputs, and remanufactured goods,
such as retreaded tires. Goods containing recycled inputs are generally
limited to those produced at the stage where the recycled input is
introduced. (For example, steel containing scrap input is included as a
green good, but hand tools made from such steel are not included.)
Indirect green goods also include organic agricultural products and
processed organic products that carry the USDA Certified Organic
designation. (Examples include organic produce and canned organic
vegetables.)
3. Specialized inputs. A good or service that is a specialized
input to production of a direct or indirect green good or service
included in categories 1 or 2 above. (Examples include USDA-approved
fertilizers for organic crops, wind turbine blades, and mass transit
rail cars.)
4. Distribution of green goods. Services that specialize in
distributing green goods included in categories 1, 2, or 3 above,
including: (a) Transportation and warehousing services, (b) wholesale
and retail trade services, (c) rental and leasing services, and (d)
restaurants and food services.
[[Page 12573]]
Measuring jobs associated with producing green goods and services.
To implement the output approach, BLS plans to collect data on jobs
associated with producing green goods and services (GGS) through a
sample survey of establishments identified as potentially producing
such products and services based on their NAICS classification. The
purpose of the survey will be to identify whether the establishment is
producing any green goods and services and, if so, to measure the
number of associated jobs in the establishment.
If a business establishment produces a single good or service, and
if the good or service is included in the BLS definition, all
employment at that establishment will be counted towards the green job
total, including production, management, and administrative staff. For
establishments that produce more than one good or service, BLS proposes
to capture the share of establishment revenue (an alternative will be
used for non-market sectors) received from the sale of green goods and
services. BLS would use the revenue share as a proxy for the share of
the establishment's employment associated with the production of green
goods and services. BLS research to date indicates businesses are
unlikely to be able to report shares of employment related to the green
good or service and that revenue share will be a reasonable proxy. BLS
will attempt to confirm this during field tests of the GGS survey
forms.
Identifying industries that produce green goods and services. BLS
has reviewed the NAICS and identified detailed (6-digit) industries
where green goods and services are classified. Industries on the list
accounted for about 4.0 million establishments in the first quarter of
2009. This industry list will constitute the scope for the GGS industry
survey; the sample survey will estimate the number of jobs in
establishments in these industries that actually produce green goods
and services. The list may be accessed at http://www.bls.gov/green.
Note that the proposed BLS methodology will estimate green jobs for
a NAICS industry by summing the green jobs found at individual
establishments classified within the industry. The methodology does not
simply designate an industry as ``green'' and count all jobs in that
industry as green jobs, since establishments in the industry may also
produce goods and services that are not considered green outputs.
In addition to the number of jobs by industry associated with GGS
production, BLS will estimate the occupational employment and wages for
establishments identified as producing green goods and services. These
estimates will be based on data collected from establishments in the
GGS industry survey through the Occupational Employment Statistics
(OES) program. The OES survey sample will be supplemented as needed.
III. Defining and Identifying Environmentally-Friendly Production
Processes
For the process approach, BLS will develop a special employer
survey to test the feasibility of collecting data on jobs associated
with use of environmentally-friendly production processes.
Environmentally-friendly production processes and practices are those
that reduce the environmental or natural resources impact resulting
from production of any good or service. These production processes
include (1) production of green goods and services for use within the
establishment, and (2) use of methods, procedures, or practices during
the production of goods and services that have a positive environmental
or natural resources conservation impact.
Examples of environmentally-friendly processes and practices
include generating solar power for use within a retail establishment,
using hybrid vehicles to transport employees, redesigning product
packaging to reduce the use of plastics, and collecting and recycling
waste created during a manufacturing process.
In the special employer survey, BLS proposes to identify whether
the establishment uses environmentally-friendly productions processes
and, if so, whether it employs any workers whose primary duties are
related to those processes. Such workers may be performing a variety of
activities, such as:
Conducting research and development of processes to
conserve energy or natural resources or to reduce pollution (for
example, a chemical engineer who develops a chemical manufacturing
process that results in lower air pollution emissions),
Planning, implementing, and monitoring of these processes
(for example, a worker who operates renewable energy generation
equipment to produce electricity for use within the establishment),
Maintaining or installing equipment or infrastructure
associated with the processes (for example, a control valve installer
in a manufacturing plant who installs systems that reduce water
pollution emissions), and
Measuring and controlling outputs of the process (for
example, a chemical technician who tests air samples for pollution
emissions levels).
When development of the process approach nears completion, BLS
plans to publish a Federal Register Notice presenting the concepts for
comment.
IV. Desired Focus of Comments
Comments and recommendations are requested from the public on the
definition, industry list, or any other aspect of the information
provided in this Notice. The concepts, methods, and definitions
described here may change based on input from the public and experience
gained in data collection.
BLS is especially interested in comments on:
1. The composition of the set of seven economic activities in which
green jobs are involved.
2. The composition of the set of four types of green goods and
services, including:
Whether the distribution of green goods should be included
as green services. Distribution encompasses certain detailed industries
in the following NAICS sectors: Transportation and Warehousing,
Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing.
Whether the preparation and sale of organic food by
restaurants and food service industries should be included as green
services. This inclusion brings Accommodation and Food Services
industries such as restaurants, caterers, and cafeterias into scope.
3. The apportioning of employment at establishments producing green
and non-green outputs into green and non-green jobs using revenue
share.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 11th day of March 2010.
Kimberley Hill,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2010-5705 Filed 3-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P