A new study of enterprise zones in Illinois reveals that each “wind job cost taxpayers $8 million” according to a press release from Illinois Wind Watch. A review of reports obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show:

that wind farms create very few local jobs.  Of the 15 wind farms reported on the IWEA website, only eight wind farm projects appear in the reports.  Those eight projects total $1.95 billion in project costs.  The reports show that these projects, as a group, created a total of 61 to 75 jobs….

The reports show that wind jobs come at an enormous cost to American taxpayers.  Under Section 1603 of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “2009 Stimulus”), the federal government currently offers a rebate of 30% of the capital cost of a wind farm.  Over $6 billion has been awarded to wind developers so far.

Based on the data reported to Illinois DECO [Department of Economic Opportunity], taxpayers are paying the mostly foreign-owned wind companies $7.8 million to $9.6 million for each temporary primary job created.

One wind farm in particular is the poster project for the creation of green-jobs-at-any-cost mentality:

EcoGrove Wind Farm received over $67 million in Section 1603 stimulus money, but created only 8 jobs, costing taxpayers more than $8 million per job.

Opening a local coffee shop probably would create eight jobs for whole lot less taxpayer money but where would that fit in the New Energy Economy?