Presidents of the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) and the American Wind Energy Association held a press conference on December 8 urging Congress to extend the 1603 Treasury grant program for two more years. They say the move would continue to support job growth in the renewable energy industry, which otherwise would have to make significant layoffs.

“The solar industry now employs 93,000 people in the United States. That’s double from where we were last year. And we fully expect to continue to grow as the solar industry continues to expand in the United States,” said Rhone Resch, SEIA President and CEO, during yesterday’s press conference. “When we have looked at a two-year extension of the 1603 program the solar industry alone anticipates creating over 65,000 jobs in the next two years. None of those jobs can we actually expect to be created if this program extension is not extended. Not only will those jobs not be created, we will also contract.”

Resch stressed that losing the Treasury grant would undoubtedly have an adverse effect on jobs during an already tense recession.

“Many people currently employed by the renewable energy industry will be standing in line and applying for those unemployment benefits, unless the 1603 investment tax credit is extended,” he said.

AWEA CEO Denise Bode echoed Resch’s sentiment.

“What we’re already seeing is we have tens of thousands of jobs that are at risk and, in fact, we’ve never had so much at risk,” she said. “Already, 20,000 jobs in 2010 will be lost and in unemployment lines in the next several months. And not only are we anticipating [job loss] in 2011, we’re already seeing it happen.”

She said the industry’s potential for large jobs losses comes on the heels of the industry’s recent success.

“In 2009, we hit a record high of 10,000 MW added, because there was the ability to access the marketplace through the tax credit option,” she said.

Jared Blanton, SEIA spokesperson, said that members of both houses of Congress are circulating a letter to support 1603 grants.

Representative Earl Blumenauer’s (D-Ore.) letter had 81 signatures supporting the grants, and a letter circulating in the Senate had 17 to 18 signatures as of Dec. 9, he said.

You can write your legislators, asking them to support the 1603 grant program at either SEIA’s or AWEA’s sites.

Pictured: An example of some of the jobs that are vulnerable if 1603 is not extended. Image courtesy of NREL.