The Hill News

From Capitol Hill to the campaign trail, the top three issues are jobs, jobs and jobs. For all the nation’s economic problems, public officials and political candidates don’t need to rack their brains for untested schemes for reinventing the economy. Many quintessentially American industries with proven records of job creation hold the promise of exponential job growth if given a chance. American ethanol is one such industry, and it deserves a fresh look and strong support.

While Americans are understandably concerned with the near-double-digit national unemployment rate, less attention is being paid to positive news about regional and local economies, especially in the nation’s heartland. The Midwest is home to the three states with the lowest unemployment rates in the nation â€" North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota -- and three more states in the top 15 -- Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. Further, the latest Gallup job creation index shows three Midwes! t states -- North Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska -- in the top 10, with North Dakota in the top spot.

Much of this Midwestern jobs boom is rooted in energy production, particularly renewable energy, such as ethanol, which has surged in recent years. In the past decade, the ethanol industry has grown from 50 biorefineries producing 1.8 billion gallons of fuel per year to more than 200 facilities producing nearly 14 billion gallons.

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