7 of 17 Fastest Growing Cleantech States Are Swing States, 5 of Them Lean Republican

Here’s a nice find from the good folks over at Think Progress. This could be a powerful factor in the coming election, as presidential and vice presidential candidates Romney & Ryan go 100% against clean energy on their campaign, and as other Congressional Republican leaders relentlessly attack clean energy. As reported on Inspired Economist, green jobs have already changed the electoral landscape in Virginia, flipping a once-reliably red state to blue, and are creating a catch-22 for Mitt Romney in Iowa, where 7,000 wind power jobs hang in the balance of this election.  Full repost below:

Here’s more evidence that green jobs may play a role in national elections. According to analysis from DBL Investors, seven of the top 17 fastest growing states for cleantech jobs are swing states. In addition, five of those top states lean Republican.

Using earlier data from the Brookings Institution showing 2.7 million jobs in America’s “clean economy,” DBL matched up growth rates with the political leanings of various states. The report found that Republican states lead in the top ten states with the largest percentage of green jobs. It also found that the top three states have more green jobs than the entire U.S. coal mining sector.

“The on-the-ground reality of the economic importance of clean tech should serve as a reminder to journalists, pundits, policymakers and even politicians campaigning for office,” write the report authors Nancy Pfund and Michael Lazar. “Politi­cians who play polit­i­cal foot­ball with clean tech increas­ingly do so at their own risk, while those that pro­mote green job growth score big points with vot­ers and work­ers alike.”

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has called green jobs “imaginary” and labeled investments in clean energy “boondoggles.”