Rex Young, Battery Storage, North Carolina
Rex Young, who has been in the industry for 6 years, works in the battery storage sector and lives in North Carolina.
Why is clean energy important to you? Clean energy is about reducing pollution, creating jobs, reinvesting in rural America, and building an economy for the future. As someone who grew up in the Appalachian coalfields just as the mining industry pulled out, I've seen the unemployment, economic hardship, and environmental impacts left behind. But now I'm finally seeing wind, solar, and other clean energy technologies invest in rural America for the first time in decades. It's great to finally see good paying manufacturing jobs come back to these areas and provide employment for folks who couldn't afford to go into debt for a four-year degree.
What’s your proudest accomplishment in clean energy? I mostly cherish the relationships I've built with communities across the country. Many folks are curious when you present a new project, especially a technology they're unfamiliar with. But I enjoy matching their curiosity and interest with information and excitement and getting to know them along the way.
What did you do before entering clean energy? I previously worked on political campaigns, including President Obama's re-election effort in 2012. After that, I attended law school and have been in the energy space ever since.
When were you first introduced to clean energy? In law school, I began working on pro bono projects focused on reducing pollution and improving the quality of life for urban and rural Americans alike. I still share those goals as I now work to clean up our electric grid and develop battery storage projects across the country.
What should more people know about your role? I do wish folks better appreciated the permitting challenges besetting clean energy industries. Often "permitting reform" is confused with rubber stamping fossil fuel projects, but many state and local regulations are stifling the clean energy transition as well.
How does clean energy impact your community? Clean energy is a huge industry in North Carolina. Many rural counties are reaping significant new tax revenues from all the new solar projects. On the manufacturing side, North Carolina has landed two major electric vehicle plants and a semiconductor factory.
What does clean energy mean to you and your family? Like any job, this job means income security, but it's also meaningful work. There's value in believing in what you do when you go to sleep at night. After developing these projects, I hope to leave every community better than I found it and I'm confident I do.
Why should Congress invest in clean energy jobs, not fossil fuel jobs? Clean energy jobs stand to benefit our country from coast to coast: reducing pollution, enriching municipalities, and employing workers. We can't win the 21st century economy without 21st century jobs.
