In his 2010 State of the State address, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland focused on the state’s ecomic challenges but named ethanol as a way to create green jobs.

“I believe in Ohio because we have made a commitment to advanced energy and we are seeing results,” noted Gov. Strickland. “When I took office Ohio had the nation’s weakest advanced energy standard for electricity production. Today, Ohio has the nation’s seventh most aggressive standard. In 2007, not one drop of ethanol was produced in Ohio. Today, four ethanol facilities in Ohio are producing 295 million gallons annually. In renewable and advanced energy manufacturing projects, Ohio now ranks first among the 50 states. The Council of State Governments scoured the nation to tally the total number of new green jobs created last year. And what did they find? Ohio ranks first. We’ve made it this far, this fast on advanced energy because we pursued smart, responsible policies and we made smart, responsible investments.”

Opisnet.com reports that there are five ethanol plants in Ohio producing this renewable product in Leipsic, Fostoria, Marion, Greenville, and in Bloomingburg plant.

Gov. Strickland will be able to speak more on Ohio’s energy rich status in just over a month. He is expected to be the keynote speaker in an energy leadership forum on March 1 in Washington, D.C. The event is a gathering of national industry leaders and policy makers in the area of advanced and renewable energy.