A Bright Future for the Heartland

The report analyzes the potential for the Midwest to transition to a clean energy economy by adopting the Midwestern Governors Association's (MGA) targets: reducing electricity use by 2% annually and sourcing 30% of electricity from renewables by 2030. Using a modified National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that these goals are achievable and would lead to significant job creation, consumer savings, and carbon emission reductions. The analysis highlights wind and biopower as the most competitive resources, while noting that transmission capacity remains a primary barrier. The report argues that regional targets would complement a federal carbon policy, making such a policy more affordable for consumers.

• The Midwest is heavily dependent on coal, which accounted for 68% of the region's electricity generation in 2009. This reliance is characterized by significant imports, with the region importing 190 million tons of coal in 2008 at a cost of $7.5 billion.
• Implementing the MGA's Energy Roadmap targets would result in a diverse renewable energy mix by 2030, with wind power providing more than two-thirds of the renewable electricity. Non-hydro renewable capacity would grow to 63,000 MW, a nearly fivefold increase from 2010 levels.
• The transition to clean energy is projected to create significant economic benefits, including a net increase of 85,000 jobs in Midwest states by 2030. This would generate an additional $4.1 billion in income and $2.7 billion in gross state product in that year compared to existing policies.
• Consumer energy bills would decrease significantly under the Energy Roadmap targets. Cumulative savings on electricity and natural gas bills for Midwest consumers are estimated to reach $11.3 billion by 2020 and $42.8 billion by 2030.
• The Energy Roadmap targets would substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lowering CO2 from Midwest power plants by more than 120 million metric tons annually by 2030, which is 16% below base-case levels.
• Inadequate transmission capacity is identified as a primary barrier to utility-scale renewable energy. Currently, 95,000 MW of wind projects are in the interconnection queue in the Midwest, with many stalled due to this lack of capacity.
• Energy efficiency is a highly cost-effective strategy, with implementation costs ranging from 1.5 to 7 cents per kilowatt-hour saved, which is lower than the average Midwest retail electricity price of 7.57 to 8.91 cents per kWh in 2009.
• A federal carbon policy combined with the Energy Roadmap targets would be more affordable for consumers than a federal policy alone, resulting in cumulative energy bills 2% lower by 2030 than the base case, whereas a federal policy alone would increase costs by 3%.

APA

MARTINEZ, C., DEYETTE, J., SATTLER, S., & MCKIBBIN, A. (2011). A Bright Future for the Heartland. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future-for-the-Heartland.pdf

Chicago

MARTINEZ, CLAUDIO, JEFF DEYETTE, SANDRA SATTLER, and ANNE MCKIBBIN. A Bright Future for the Heartland. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2011. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future-for-the-Heartland.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MARTINEZ |first1=CLAUDIO |last2=DEYETTE |first2=JEFF |last3=SATTLER |first3=SANDRA |last4=MCKIBBIN |first4=ANNE |title=A Bright Future for the Heartland |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=July 2011 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future-for-the-Heartland.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martinez2011bright, author = {MARTINEZ, CLAUDIO and DEYETTE, JEFF and SATTLER, SANDRA and MCKIBBIN, ANNE}, title = {{A Bright Future for the Heartland}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2011}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future-for-the-Heartland.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }