Midwest Governors Announce Regional Clean Energy Plans
At the Midwest Governors Association Jobs and Energy Forum today, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle presented several documents that reflect a renewed effort by the Midwestern states to work together as a region to strengthen the clean energy economy. The governors see the clean energy economy as creating an “enormous opportunity for the Midwest to build on its historic strengths and reclaim its position as a manufacturing powerhouse and a place of innovation and meaningful work.”
In the Midwestern Energy Infrastructure Accord, the governors lay out their plans to develop a robust clean energy infrastructure, which include:
*Expanding electric transmission capacity in support of renewable energy development and distributed generation.
*Adopting smart grid technologies and capabilities.
*Building out carbon capture and storage at a commercial scale.
*Deploying refueling systems for biofuels and other advanced low-carbon transportation fuels.
The governors’ Platform for Creating and Retaining Midwestern Jobs in the New Energy Economy calls for the adoption and alignment of energy, economic and workforce policies that position the region to compete with and lead other regions in creating and retaining jobs in the new energy economy. It also calls for increased and optimized public- and private-sector investments in education, training, manufacturing and other areas that support jobs and career opportunities in clean energy.
Read these and other documents from the MWG Association Jobs and Energy Forum.