President Barack Obama touts the number of green jobs in the American economy — 3.1 million to be exact — reminding us that these are “the jobs of the future.” The president is eager to expand federal subsidies to “create” even more green jobs.

The president’s claim is based on data collected by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS has defined green as “… goods and services produced by an establishment that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources.” The department goes on to identify five areas into which these goods and services fall: production of energy from natural resources; energy efficiency; pollution reduction, recycling, and reuse; natural-resources conservation; and environmental compliance, education, public awareness, and training.

The BLS breaks down the green jobs by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For example the electric-power-generation industry produces 44,152 green jobs, of which only 4,700 are in renewable energy. The bulk of the jobs, 35,755 or 80 percent of the total, is ascribed to the nuclear-power industry, clearly not the result of any government programs because the industry hasn’t built a new U.S. plant in 30 years.

Manufacturing, according to the BLS, generates 461,847 jobs. The largest single provider is the category of steel mills, with 43,658 positions. That means that more than 50 percent of the steel-mill jobs are green, because the mills rely heavily on scrap steel as a source. It’s hard to make a case that President Obama’s initiatives have had any impact on steel production, because steel mills have used scrap for decades. It’s simply cheaper to produce new steel from scrap.

Another large category of green-jobs creation is found in the NAICS code for paper mills. It turns out that 27 percent of the industry’s employment — 30,473 jobs — is attributable to the use of recycled paper, another practice that is decades old. BLS also adds in engineering services — 100,847 green jobs — and architectural services — another 71, 891 green jobs. Engineers and architects, however, trail used-merchandise stores, waste collection, and bus transportation in creating green jobs.

The BLS goes on to cite substantial green-jobs employment in office furniture, septic-tank cleaning, radio and television broadcasting, and social-advocacy organizations. If you add up all of the green jobs in the solar-electric utility industry, there are more than 30 times as many green jobs servicing septic tanks and portable toilets, according to David Kreutzer, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

So the next time you hear President Obama tout the need for more subsidies to promote green jobs, remember the disconnect between the image of green jobs and what BLS defines as green jobs. In political-speak, it’s back to the future.       

Norman Poltenson is the publisher of The Central New York Business Journal. Contact him at npoltenson@cnybj.com

There is one less bureaucrat at the environmental Protection Agency now. The arrogant senior official slipped, publicly expressing the Obama Administration’s view that punishment akin to ancient Roman crucifixion awaits any business that dares oppose the powerful bureau.

In typical Washington fashion, a media storm arose, the official resigned and the head of the EPA quickly apologized. But the administration, rather than denouncing its philosophy of law enforcement by fear and intimidation, opted to merely save election-year face by rushing the trouble-maker out of the spotlight.

American small-business owners are not easily fooled by such tactics, nor are they intimidated by a government intent on piling on greater and more punitive regulations. These entrepreneurs are pushing back against over-zealous enforcers who could care less about the cost and impact of excessive rules.

Recently, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which is awaiting a major Supreme Court decision on its suit against President Obama’s health-reform law, raised the voice of small business to another challenge, urging justices to rein in the IRS for overstepping its audit authority. The high court agreed, saying the tax collector was fudging its regulations to double the time it could impose additional taxes on understated income.

NFIB is not only squaring off against big agencies such as EPA and the IRS, but the organization is also contesting activities of the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, and other oversight agencies that have launched campaigns to punish businesses instead of helping them. This approach makes absolutely no sense in times of economic weakness, but advancing the government’s anti-business agenda is apparently a greater priority.

NLRB, dominated by pro-labor political appointees, has dropped any pretense of trying to fairly balance labor law. It is driving headlong to undermine employers’ efforts to counter union-organization attempts with a new rule that would drastically cut the time from petition to ballot. And the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate has sided with the agency, allowing labor bosses to continue their intimidation of vulnerable small firms.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department is rolling out several new management requirements for small businesses ranging from demanding they foresee future work hazards to informing workers how their status and pay are determined to inhibiting business’ use of expert labor advisers.

Also exercising its muscle against small business is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which brags of more than doubling the average penalty for safety violations as a way to set an example of toughness. That sets an example all right, but it’s one that disgusts today’s entrepreneurs and discourages future generations who hope to launch their own small businesses.

Main Street is tired of the arrogance, intimidation, and disrespect delivered daily by this administration. They’ve had enough and they’re taking their case to Capitol Hill with a strong message that will be heard from now to Election Day: America cannot afford this excessive regulation and gotcha-style government. It is a disastrous prescription for a troubled economy.                      

Dan Danner is president and CEO of the NFIB, which represents 350,000 small-business owners in Washington, D.C. and every state capital.