Quietly but steadily, Ohio has become a leading state in the development of the clean energy economy, and one of just seven states where environmentally friendly jobs are increasing; despite losses in the total number of jobs.
In releasing a report today, Tom Bullock of the Pew Charitable Trust defined how key Ohio has become.
TOM BULLOCK: "We're 4th nationwide in overall jobs, we're 7th nationwide in overall patents, we've attracted $74m in venture capital, and we have government policies that produce a friendly environment to support some of our natural advantages in manufacturing, in research and in innovation."
What it all means is that new market opportunities are attracting high tech, high-paying positions to the state... helping compensate for job losses in industries such as autos and manufacturing.
From pollution mitigation to wind energy, almost every state is looking at the economics of CLEAN energy production, but Bullock says Ohio began earlier, and is now seeing the benefits.
BULLOCK: "What's exciting about this sector and this time period is you're thinking of new ways to solve old problems and growing jobs while you're at it."
Ohio jobs in the clean energy field totalled more than 35,000 in 2007 alone, lead by companies like Grace Geothermal of Chardon, and Tremont Electric of Cleveland.
