A Bright Future for the Heartland

The report argues that transitioning the Midwest to a clean energy economy through renewable electricity and energy efficiency standards would create 85,700 net new jobs, save consumers $42.8 billion on energy bills, and significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2030.

• Achieving the Energy Roadmap targets would generate substantial economic growth in the Midwest by 2030, including the creation of 85,700 net new jobs and $40.9 billion in new capital investment.
• The transition to clean energy would result in significant consumer savings on electricity and natural gas bills, totaling $42.8 billion by 2030, with a typical household saving an average of $78 per year between 2010 and 2030.
• Implementing the Energy Roadmap would diversify the region's power supply, increasing non-hydro renewable energy capacity to nearly 63,000 megawatts by 2030, up from 13,300 megawatts in 2010.
• The shift toward renewables and efficiency would reduce the Midwest's reliance on coal, leading to a 16 percent decrease in coal use by 2030 compared to existing policies and reducing annual CO2 emissions from power plants by 130 million metric tons.
• The report identifies specific regional strengths in clean energy, noting that Ohio has 169 companies in wind and solar supply chains, Illinois has over 100 wind energy companies supporting 15,000 employees, and Michigan has over 240 firms in the wind and solar supply chain.
• The analysis compares a 'core policy case' with an 'alternative technology pathway'; the latter assumes lower costs for biopower, resulting in biopower accounting for 47 percent of renewable generation in 2030 compared to 25 percent in the core case.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2011). A Bright Future for the Heartland. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future_Executive-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. A Bright Future for the Heartland. 2011. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future_Executive-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=A Bright Future for the Heartland |date=July 2011 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/A-Bright-Future_Executive-Summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2011bright, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, 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_Executive-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }