Team eyes big grant, green jobs
Jul. 27—A regional team of people, including employees at the University of Idaho and Washington State University, want to position the Inland Northwest as a leader in producing climate-friendly jobs, products and land management practices.
To do that, they are hoping to get a financial boost in the form of a $160 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
The NSF announced 34 semifinalists in a competition meant to stimulate economic growth and job creation in "regions that have not fully participated in the technology boom of the past few decades," its website says. The winners of that competition could receive $160 million over 10 years.
These semifinalists cover a wide range of industries such as agriculture, aerospace and health. The regional team, called FIERCE, wants to address climate change.
FIERCE stands for Fueling an Innovative, Equitable, and Resilient Climate-smart Economy, and it includes experts from UI, WSU, local tribes and local economic development organization One Palouse.
Tara Hudiberg, a UI associate professor in the College of Natural Resources, summed up FIERCE's goal as "producing companies and/or products or land management practices that will actually have an impact on reducing atmosphere greenhouse gasses."
"It has to have a net change that's negative on the atmosphere, positive for us," she said.
First, FIERCE wants to bring all of these companies and organizations together as part of one "engine."
From there, FIERCE can help these industries scale up, said Eric Walsh, a program director at Manomet Inc. That means creating more STEM careers that address issues caused by climate change.
"It is about investing in the education and pooling of that workforce to ensure that they're prepared for the 21st century positions and jobs and that they're not being left behind," Walsh said.
One of the short-term goals, Hudiberg said, is to increase the median household income for people in these jobs.
As executive director of One Palouse, Rich French works to create a hub where local industries can connect with one another. He said FIERCE is looking at introducing jobs and climate-smart technology to underserved areas like Whitman County.
The team is targeting local resources such as the power industry and the forests to help reduce the carbon footprint. Walsh said they can offer solutions to climate change.
"How do we transition ourselves to a more net-zero-based economy using these natural resources that we have?" he said.
Hudiburg said what FIERCE is doing may not reverse climate change or single-handedly stop the increase in wildfires, for example, but it can make something like land stewardship and the power industry more resistant to climate change.
"It's a mix of both adaptation and mitigation," she said.
NSF anticipates announcing the final list of NSF Engines awards this fall, with each awardee initially receiving about $15 million for the first two years.
More information can be found at ics.uidaho.edu/fierce/.
Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
