First posted at RACblog.

When most Americans think about environmentally progressive parts of our country, coastal states like California, New York, and Oregon are probably the first that come to mind. Yet, the movement for clean energy and environmental protection is growing across the country, especially in the Midwest. Iowa was in the news again last week (after its Supreme Court successfully upheld marriage equality earlier in the month) when President Obama celebrated Earth Day at the Trinity Structural Towers plant in Newton, a small town struggling through the economic downturn.

Trinity is helping revive Newton by putting Iowans to work building parts for wind turbines. President Obama highlighted Trinity, and the work going on all across the state of Iowa, as a model for clean energy economies built by green jobs, the key to both solving the climate crisis and revitalizing the economy.
Iowa recently surpassed California, arguably the most environmentally-progressive state in the nation, as the second-largest producer of wind energy in the country. Texas is still the number one state for wind energy, but clean energy is booming everywhere, and Midwestern states like Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota are stepping up to the plate. Clean energy is an issue that can, and should, unite our country rather than divide us on regional or partisan lines.

While the recent economic downturn has hit everyone, green technology is faring better than most industries during tough times. Green jobs- building wind turbine parts and solar panels, retrofitting government buildings, and weatherizing homes to be more energy efficient- are sprouting up across the country, in small towns from Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina to Colorado and Utah. Rust Belt and Midwestern states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana- that have been hit especially hard by the downturn in construction and manufacturing- stand to benefit greatly from green economies built on clean sources of energy like wind and solar power. What's happening in Newton, Iowa is just the beginning.

Jobs in the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors pay well and can't be outsourced, and states across the country are ready for them. As Congress begins serious debate over climate and energy policies that would put a price on carbon emissions and encourage increased investment in renewables, states like Iowa continue to benefit from the growth in clean energy industries and green jobs.

The clean energy trend is truly sweeping the Midwest. On June 5, Omaha, Nebraska will host North American celebrations of World Environment Day, a program of the United Nation's Environment Program. World Environment Day is an annual event in which more than 100 nations come together to raise awareness of environmental issues and call for stronger political action to protect our natural resources, decrease our environmental impact, and improve human and environmental health.

While members of the Saudi royal family and naysayers in the U.S. Congress continue to contend that the U.S. cannot wean itself off foreign oil or other fossil fuels, clean energy advocates, and President Obama, disagree. With states like Iowa moving forward, and national policies that promote increased use of renewables from solar, wind, and other sources hopefully on the way, the U.S. can come together to lead the way to a clean, green energy future.