Perhaps we have reached the Rising Point.

On May 27, in the most important paper in Rhode Island, an opinion piece on climate change by a Mr. Sheldon Whitehouse included this little nugget: “There are already more jobs in the solar industry than in coal mining.” Whoa now, read that again; it’s a startling thought. And as you might expect, the quote raised more than a few eyebrows in Washington. The coal industry was quick to offer statistics to debunk the claim. Solar executives called it out as the politics of denial. Blahdee, blahdee, blah…

Let’s take a closer look. Whitehouse claims that the solar industry employs 142,698 Americans, which number is based on the “National Solar Jobs Census” of 2013. This Census is compiled by the Solar Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-lobbying group, whose data is considered the most authoritative by the Congressional Research Office. The number includes all workers who spend at least 50% of their time working on solar projects, and in fact almost all of the workers included in the number are solely dedicated to working on solar. 142,698 people.

By contrast, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted only 78,500 jobs in coal mining in its 2014 survey. This number is reported to the Bureau by law, and includes employee numbers of coal mining companies. So it is a reckoning of “jobs,” not people, and therefore open to some interpretation. Moreover, there are three other ways to count miners. First, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, which counts the actual numbers of people who work in mines (including contractors and inspectors and construction folks, etc.) lists a figure of 123,227 mine workers. Second, the National Mining Association claims there are 195,494 people in the mining industry. (But their number includes some 50,000 folks who work in transportation, as well as other people not dedicated to mining, so their real number comes in around 120,000) Third, a leading data provider, SNL, reported only 79,658 mining jobs in 2013, an 8% drop over the previous year.

Thus, any way you dig at the coal numbers, there truly aren’t as many miners in this country as solar workers. This past week, Politifact completed a review of Whitehouse’s claim and deemed it “completely true” on its Truth-O-Meter.

And why, exactly, does it matter? Well, Sheldon Whitehouse isn’t just some guy. He’s a United States Senator. And not just any Senator; he is the Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety.

When HE says that solar is now outpacing coal, it kinda makes it official.  So let’s restate it.  SOLAR POWER IS SURPASSING COAL POWER.

It’s a seminal moment for Americans, and perhaps for the planet.

And none too soon. Because, unfortunately, Senator Whitehouse also said this: “April (2014) was the first month in human history with consistently more than 400 parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere (for at least 8,000 centuries it’s been between 175 and 300 ppm)… and don’t be misled, the links connecting these results to carbon pollution are forged in immutable laws of science and nature.”

The Sun can’t rise fast enough…