A new report claims the wind industry may support more jobs in Iowa than any other state. The Environmental Law and Policy Center, based in Chicago, identified 79 companies in Iowa that are directly involved in the wind energy supply chain.

Executive Director Howard Learner says many of those companies helped manufacture the more than 2,500 turbines now operating in the state that are capable of producing 3,670 megawatts of power. Learner says the wind industry supports roughly 2,300 manufacturing jobs in Iowa.

“People have known for a while about some of the larger manufacturers,” Learner told Radio Iowa. “What people don’t focus on as much is many of the small and mid-sized manufacturers that are making the components of the wind power equipment that goes into the big turbines and produces clean energy for all of us.”

Iowa ranks second in the country, behind Texas, in terms of wind production. Learner claims Iowa’s wind industry would expand even further if federal legislation were passed to extend a tax credit program and require all electric utilities to buy a growing percentage of their electricity from renewable energy resources.

“Iowa has more of a stake than almost any other state in the country when it comes to wind power development and getting state and federal policies right,” Learner said. Iowa is home to seven international wind manufacturing companies.

See more here: www.ELPC.org