Oregon Jobs Forum Focuses on Renewable Energy to Spur Rural Growth

Creating biomass and geothermal plants along with other sources of renewable energy are the types of jobs Oregon residents said were needed to grow their rural communities. Nearly 75 residents attended a jobs forum in Bend, Ore., last week as part of a nationwide effort by the Obama administration to gather ideas on how to stimulate job growth. Hosted by USDA and led by State Director for Rural Development Vicki Walker and Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Lynn Voigt, the forum gave residents a platform to express ideas about stimulating existing small businesses and entrepreneurs, providing incentives to grow “green jobs” and keeping money in the state by not exporting products and energy out of the region.