Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10.07.09
Pacts push training in renewable energy, biofuels, technology
Midwest governors are betting that investments in clean energy technology can help replace more than 1 million manufacturing jobs lost this decade.
At a regional jobs and energy forum in Detroit on Wednesday, governors from seven Midwestern states adopted jobs and infrastructure agreements that encourage worker training in renewable energy, energy efficiency, biofuels and advanced coal technologies. Those fields are expected to attract increased investment as industry turns away from carbon emissions.
The governors stressed the need to work together to develop a network of high-voltage power lines that could help import renewable energy from the windiest parts of the Midwest - Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas - to cities in the region that consume a lot of electricity.
Pacts push training in renewable energy, biofuels, technology
Midwest governors are betting that investments in clean energy technology can help replace more than 1 million manufacturing jobs lost this decade.
At a regional jobs and energy forum in Detroit on Wednesday, governors from seven Midwestern states adopted jobs and infrastructure agreements that encourage worker training in renewable energy, energy efficiency, biofuels and advanced coal technologies. Those fields are expected to attract increased investment as industry turns away from carbon emissions.
The governors stressed the need to work together to develop a network of high-voltage power lines that could help import renewable energy from the windiest parts of the Midwest - Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas - to cities in the region that consume a lot of electricity.