Governors See Jobs on the Path to Clean Energy, Efficiency

President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight, and some supporters of the shift to clean energy worry that the troubled U.S. economy and high unemployment will overwhelm any attention he might want to give climate change.

Sen. John Kerry, who has been leading the Senate drive for climate legislation, urged the president to underscore that climate and energy reform remain priorities for 2010.

"The president has a good story to tell, having personally gone to Copenhagen last month and negotiated an agreement with all the major countries of the world to address climate change," Kerry told E&E. "He can remind Congress that he's invested."

But even if the U.S. president eases off his public drive for climate-protective efforts, the nation’s governors are not.

In state of the state addresses across the country this month, governors from both parties have been taking about the value of clean energy and energy efficiency in the race to create stronger economies and jobs. They are touting their successes and aiming to be the state to lead the world into the future.

Even Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, talked about clean energy, biofuels and carbon capture and storage as he discussed the state's fossil fuel industry.

Electric Cars and Innovation

Another Republican, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, set a goal for his state to be the capital of the electric vehicle industry. And he went on to praise the coal-reliant state’s shift toward renewable energy:

“Over the last two years, Indiana has been the fastest growing state in wind power, and now businesses seeking to build the equipment for this new industry are coming to Muncie, to New Albany, and to Clinton,” Daniels said. “Within weeks, you'll see us explode onto the solar power landscape.”

Daniels might get a run for his money on the electric car capital claim.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a Democrat, talked about electric carmaker Fisker’s decision to locate in his state, saying, “We should not only build, assemble and distribute the next generation of cars in Delaware. We should invent and manufacture the technology for the cars – as well the technology for other industries of tomorrow.” To get there, he called for approval of a bond bill to finance a center for high-tech laboratories, including alternative energy research.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch also zeroed in on research and development in his state of the state address. He announced a stimulus-funded partnership with the University of New Hampshire to create the Green Launching Pad, a $750,000 program designed to help clean technology companies grow in New Hampshire.

“These companies will be connected to business, science and engineering faculty to develop finance and marketing plans, and be connected with angel investors and business mentors. They will get intensive support to launch or expand their companies and to create new jobs,” Lynch said.

“We can make it possible for even more companies to create the technologies that will reduce pollution, reduce energy costs and provide new sources of energy.”

We’re the Clean Energy State!

The boldest claim so far has come from New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who declared New Mexico “the Clean Energy State” and dared California to try to match it.