Martha Brand, MCEA's executive director, in an opinion piece published by the St. Paul Pioneer Press today, explains why Minnesota is nicely positioned to take advantage of President Obama's green initiatives and what more needs to be done. The full piece follows.

Coming at us is the new, green, recession-fighting machine.

Barack Obama has promised repeatedly that much of his stimulus package will go to developing a green economy, one that puts people to work and stitches together an infrastructure that rewards energy-efficiency, renewable energy and cutting global warming pollution.

We, of course, say none too soon.

It is important to recognize that Minnesota has begun that work, providing the state with a head start on just such an economy. No ranking system exists, but Minnesota has one of the most ambitious renewable energy standards and probably makes the top 10 with our global warming reduction programs.

In 2007, the Legislature passed, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed, major bills that called for producing 25 percent of our electricity with renewable energy by 2025; that required gas and electric utilities to cut their sales 1.5 percent per year through energy efficiency and committed Minnesota to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. Pawlenty also prodded the Midwest Governors Association to establish a regional cap and trade program by 2010.

These are all ambitious goals, and implementation is where the rubber meets the road. But Minnesota has a long record of setting the pace.

When nearly everyone else was making fun of wind power in the early 1990s, the Legislature was ordering Northern States Power Co., now Xcel, to install or buy wind power from turbines in southwestern Minnesota.

Today, Minnesota produces more than 1,300 megawatts of wind electricity, ranking us third in the nation. That's 4.6 percent of Minnesota's energy needs being met through wind power.

Farmers reap new revenue by renting land for the turbines and counties receive additional property taxes. A Suzlon Rotor Corp. factory opened in Pipestone two years ago and now employs 500 workers to make the blades. Finland's Moventas announced it will open a factory in Faribault this year to manufacture wind turbine gears.

We haven't moved as quickly on the energy-efficiency front. The cheapest kilowatt is the one we don't use. We should be investing in things such as insulating homes and businesses and changing inefficient furnaces, appliances and leaky windows so it takes less energy to heat, cool and operate buildings.

Thousands of workers will be needed to make those improvements, which should translate into well-paying jobs for many. In fact, a 24-member Green Jobs Task Force is set to report to the Legislature about just those possibilities. Utility companies may find it more economical to invest in such energy efficiency efforts themselves rather than build new plants. However, state policymakers still must figure out ways for the utilities to make money while selling less energy.

Obama is likely to seek legislation for a national cap and trade program that will limit how much global-warming pollution industries can put in the air and, over time, lower that limit dramatically.

Big questions need to be sorted out by Obama's brain trust and the policymakers in Minnesota. The major one is that cap and trade will make many of our current forms of energy, and some products, more expensive. That sends the right market signals, but there must be some relief to consumers through rebates or tax relief, so household incomes are not devastated by the changes.

Still, the emphasis must be on phasing out old, polluting ways of making products and transporting people and moving to new, efficient and clean methods. That will be a great step forward.

To continue to be a leader in cutting global warming emissions, the Legislature needs to pass a clean cars bill this session. Through this bill, Minnesota would join 14 other states in requiring the auto manufacturers to sell new cars here that meet tough global warming pollution standards. That efficiency also would provide better fuel mileage, saving consumers money. The Legislature and the governor also must address all of the measures needed to meet our ambitious global warming reduction goals. Passing only a few good bills will not solve the problem.

It's time to bring on the green, and bring on the jobs.