Department of Labor News Releases

Energy Holds Significant Job Potential for Idaho

11/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

With policy makers focused on creating new jobs to lift Idaho out of the recession, renewable energy appears to be a sector where the state could make gains.

In 2008, the U.S. Energy Information Agency ranked Idaho seventh nationally in its renewable energy generating capacity, and an Idaho Department of Labor analysis found energy sector employers paying $2.6 billion to over 49,000 workers, 12 percent of total wages and 7.5 percent of total jobs.

A $1.25 million federal grant awarded earlier this week to the Idaho Department of Labor will be used to develop detailed information on the current and future potential of jobs in the state's power and energy industry, and in particular jobs in the area of efficient and renewable energy, also known as "green jobs."

The Energy Information Agency profile of Idaho identifies its vast hydropower resources – the sixth largest in the nation – as the source of nearly all the state’s renewable energy capacity. Wind and wood or wood waste accounted for less than 7 percent combined.

But researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory have identified 6,700 additional hydropower sites that could potentially produce another 2,100 megawatts of electricity. That would boost Idaho’s hydro capacity by another 22 percent. A megawatt hour of electricity is enough to power 1,000 average homes in the Intermountain West for a month, according to UtiliPoint International, an energy research firm.

Wind remains the most likely alternative resource for development. In 2004, the federal energy agency found no notable wind generation in Idaho. Today, Idaho has wind projects with a generating capacity of 105 megawatts with a marked potential for growth, particularly in southeastern Idaho.

Over half that total, 64.5 megawatts, is being generated by the Wolverine Farm in southeastern Idaho’s Bingham County. Recent wind mapping indicates Idaho has about 18,000 megawatts of generation potential, the 13th highest in the United States. The southeastern part of the state has been identified as having several locations with nearby transmission lines that could support viable wind farms. Most developers require a wind classification of three or higher, and of the 75 sites in Idaho at that rating a third are in the southeast. Only preliminary assessments have been made on most, but development is being sought for sites on Goshen Ridge, Windland, the Lava Beds and Rockland/Ridgeline.

Idaho’s federal energy profile, however, is limited to hydro, wind and wood. It does not include any existing capacity for solar, geothermal or biomass other than wood, and there are developments, especially in southeastern Idaho, on these fronts.

The natural hot springs that mark the southeastern part of the state have called attention to geothermal resources. Some homes and several small-scale hydroponic greenhouses use the earth’s hot water for heating. And the Northwest’s first geothermal electric plant is near Raft River. Operated by U.S. Geothermal Inc., it produces about 13 megawatts of electricity with a maximum capacity estimated at 110 megawatts.

Generating costs are relatively high, but technological improvements offer prospects of developing one or more of the other 24 geothermal sites in Idaho identified by researchers Ken Neely and Gerry Galinato for the Governor’s Geothermal Task Force in 2007.

Recently the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation announced plans for a 100-megawatt geothermal plant near Preston, adding credence to the viability of geothermal generation in the region.

Biomass – wood products, cellulosic feedstock and byproducts from grain crops – is being evaluated throughout the state to include gases containing carbon from decomposing landfill material. But timber and grain are the focus, and the interest fluctuates with commodity prices. When prices decline, so does production and with it the byproducts used in power generation. Technology is being developed to make conversion more economical.

While solar power is often the focus of the alternative energy debate, the technology for large scale projects is still being developed. Most solar generation is occurring at individual homes or businesses. But with technology changing rapidly, the large number of cloudless days in southern Idaho seems to make solar generation viable.

Renewable Electricity Generation Capacity 2008
(in Megawatts)
State	Total	% of US	Rank
Alabama	9,512	2.6%	8
Alaska	1,179	0.3%	41
Arizona	7,438	2.0%	10
Arkansas	6,360	1.7%	12
California	44,056	11.9%	2
Colorado	4,983	1.3%	18
Connecticut	1,153	0.3%	42
DC	159	0.0%	49
Delaware	0	0.0%	51
Florida	4,497	1.2%	20
Georgia	5,438	1.5%	15
Hawaii	849	0.2%	47
Idaho	10,196	2.7%	7
Illinois	2,955	0.8%	28
Indiana	916	0.2%	45
Iowa	4,832	1.3%	19
Kansas	1,780	0.5%	36
Kentucky	2,408	0.6%	32
Louisiana	3,896	1.0%	21
Maine	8,397	2.3%	9
Maryland	2,543	0.7%	31
Massachusetts	2,256	0.6%	34
Michigan	3,794	1.0%	23
Minnesota	6,036	1.6%	14
Mississippi	1,508	0.4%	39
Missouri	2,291	0.6%	33
Montana	10,441	2.8%	6
Nebraska	729	0.2%	48
Nevada	3,072	0.8%	27
New Hampshire	2,758	0.7%	30
New Jersey	925	0.2%	44
New Mexico	1,934	0.5%	35
New York	29,830	8.0%	4
North Carolina	5,214	1.4%	17
North Dakota	2,789	0.8%	29
Ohio	911	0.2%	46
Oklahoma	6,111	1.6%	13
Oregon	36,765	9.9%	3
Pennsylvania	5,353	1.4%	16
Rhode Island	156	0.0%	50
South Carolina	3,207	0.9%	25
South Dakota	3,146	0.8%	26
Tennessee	6,675	1.8%	11
Texas	17,212	4.6%	5
Utah	941	0.3%	43
Vermont	1,215	0.3%	40
Virginia	3,852	1.0%	22
Washington	82,343	22.2%	1
West Virginia	1,664	0.4%	38
Wisconsin	3,270	0.9%	24
Wyoming	1,745	0.5%	37
US	371,688	100.0%	―
Source: U.S. Energy Information Agency

Stimulus Health Care Coverage Deadline Looms for Laid-Off Workers

11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

Workers who have lost their jobs – and their health care benefits – since Sept. 1, 2008 still have until the end of this year to qualify for a 65 percent subsidy on the premiums they paid to continue health coverage after they were laid off.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, laid-off workers who qualify for continued health insurance under a 1985 federal law commonly known as COBRA only have to pay 35 percent of the group health insurance premium their former employer offered for up to nine of the 18 months they can continue their coverage.

The federal government reimburses the employer, health plan administrator or insurance company for the other 65 percent of the premium through a payroll tax credit.

The subsidy is provided only for periods of health coverage beginning after Feb. 16. Laid-off workers eligible for Medicare or group health coverage through their spouse or a new employer are not eligible for the subsidy.

The health insurance continuation option is available in Idaho to employees laid off from businesses with payrolls of 20 or more. If requests to continue health coverage are denied, workers can get an expedited review by the U.S. Department of Labor.

More information on COBRA, the subsidy and how to appeal a denial of continued coverage is available at http://www.dol.gov/COBRA.

Idaho Jobless Rate Hits 9 Percent

11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM

October’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit 9 percent in Idaho for the first time since the aftermath of the double dip recessions in the early 1980s.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday revised Idaho’s October rate upward by a tenth of a percentage point from the forecast rate on Nov. 6. Based on additional statistical information, the government found that not only did the 1,000 new entrants into the labor force fail to find work but over 600 who had jobs in September did not work in October.

That drove the number of workers without jobs in October to a record 67,800 as total employment dropped below 686,000 for the first time since February 2005.

The last time Idaho’s unemployment rate was 9 percent was in June 1983.

The rapid and severe impact on Idaho of the recession that began in December 2007 pushed payment of unemployment insurance benefits to an unprecedented level in 2009. Through mid-November the state paid a record $558 million in state and federal unemployment benefits to over 100,000 claimants. The old record was $247 million in 2008.

That has drained the Idaho Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and required the state to borrow $75.2 million so far from the federal government to continue state benefit payments. Twenty-three other states and the Virgin Islands have borrowed another $20 billion, and Idaho expects to borrow another $125 million over the next 15 months.

Because of the record benefit demand that has drained the trust fund, the unemployment insurance tax rates for Idaho employers will more than double in 2010 and likely remain at that level for the following two years. State law calculates the rates. That law is also reducing the maximum weekly benefit a jobless worker can receive from $362 this year to $334 next, which translates into a reduction of more than $18 million in benefit payments in 2010.

Workers Shouldn’t Pay Private Companies to File Jobless Claims

11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

A private company is trying to convince unemployed Idaho workers to pay it $9.95 to file their claims for unemployment benefits when the workers can do it themselves for free.

The Idaho Department of Labor offers Internet filing for unemployment benefits and assistance with benefit claims over the telephone or in person at any of its 25 local offices throughout Idaho as well as information on other resources available to the unemployed and help in finding new jobs.

The department’s Web site – http://labor.idaho.gov – is Idaho’s only official source of information about unemployment insurance benefits – both regular benefits and extended benefits, and unemployed workers could go to http://labor.idaho.gov/iw to apply online for benefits without charge.

Other sites may look official, but they are not.

“People need to steer clear of Web sites that appear to offer legitimate applications for unemployment insurance benefits when, in fact, they do not,” Benefits Bureau Chief Josh McKenna said. “Using an unofficial site will not only cost money that doesn’t need to be spent but could also delay benefits.”

In at least one Idaho case, the claimant paying Unemployment Benefit Services $9.95 had the claim improperly filed.

The Department of Labor offers a full range of employment services from job fairs to résumé preparation and job interviewing techniques at each of the 25 local offices.

Idaho law provides a weekly benefit to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and have sufficient earnings in the previous 15 months. The benefit up to $362 a week runs for up to 26 weeks as long as the claimant is actively looking for work.

In addition, federal law provides jobless workers who have already exhausted their regular benefits with extended benefits up to another 47 weeks. To qualify, they must be able, available and actively seeking full-time work – the same requirements for collecting regular unemployment benefits.

Seminar to Help Canyon County Employers Control Jobless Costs

11/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

Canyon County employers can learn the latest about keeping unemployment insurance costs in check during a local employer association meeting Thursday, Nov. 12.

Idaho Department of Labor staff will provide insight and field questions during the session that begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Caldwell Department of Labor office, 4514 Thomas Jefferson St.

The department’s chief research officer, Bob Uhlenkott, will discuss the current economic outlook and the continued pressure on Idaho’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Unemployment Insurance Benefits Bureau Chief Josh McKenna and Compliance Bureau Chief Michael Johnson will discuss all aspects of the unemployment benefits program including 2010 tax rates and using the department’s Employer Contact Online Reporting system to maintain, monitor and control unemployment insurance accounts.

The $14 cost includes lunch catered by Fiesta Guadalajara. To register, contact Elizabeth Anzaldua at Elizabeth.Anzaldua@labor.idaho.gov or Sandee Burke at Sandee.Burke@labor.idaho.gov.