Tagged: NC Department of Commerce

North Carolina companies are in the midst of a sustainable energy boom. Solar farms have bloomed, wind farms could be on their way, and local entrepreneurs are experimenting with biofuels and solar power. But cheap natural gas and new legislation could slow sustainable energy growth.

Experts are discussing these advancements at the North Carolina Department of Commerce's 10th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh today. Keynote speaker Marilyn Brown is a professor from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She said today on The State of Things that many people are looking to fracking for natural gas to solve our energy needs.

There is some positive news on the jobs front across North Carolina.  The latest unemployment numbers show a drop in the jobless rate in every corner of the state from Asheville to Wilmington. 

Several metropolitan areas with unemployment rates in the double digits saw their numbers drop by nearly a full point in February.  Those communities include Greenville, Rocky Mount and Greensboro-High Point.  A lot of the movement reflects normal seasonal patterns. 

Governor Pat McCrory wants to create a new agency to help grow North Carolina’s economy. The proposal includes a plan to privatize part of the Commerce Department.

McCrory wants a new outlet to handle job recruitment, efforts to boost exports and promote tourism. Those duties would replace some of the functions the Commerce Department currently handles. Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker says the goal is a public-private partnership.

"The state has a role in creating incentives, in making this a competitive place economically," she says.

North Carolina’s jobless rate may not be anything to cheer about, but the state’s job growth is getting some applause. 

The state’s unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in January.  It's one of the highest in the nation, hovering hovered around that amount for the past year. The national rate sits at 7.9 percent.