The Obama administration is banking on "green jobs" as a new growth industry, claiming it will drag the economy out of recession, create millions of new jobs -- and, have the bonus effect of helping the environment.
But disagreements over the benefits of forcing green technologies -- and the cost of creating green jobs -- have some questioning whether the United States can afford the investment in such a steep down cycle. And the European model suggests it may not work out the way it is intended.
President Obama's proposal to create 5 million green jobs over 10 years "is a political smokescreen designed to disguise the fact that his energy and environmental policies are going to be very costly," Max Schulz of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, told FOXNews.com.
"The reality is these various policies are going to hurt the economy, cost jobs in efficient industries and raise prices," Schulz said.
