On May 19, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law ground-breaking legislation that amends the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard to include energy sources like biomass, biogas, geothermal, synthetic gas and certain fuel pellets.

These sources, when used in place of traditional coal-fired power plants, can prevent further damage to our environment by emitting fewer of the greenhouse gases that have been linked to acid rain, smog, and the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer.

Wisconsin’s RPS requires that by 2015, 10 percent of the state’s electricity be generated from renewable resources, like from the energy sources listed above.

In addition to the technologies listed above, the legislation includes Orion’s direct-use renewable Apollo solar light pipe, which harvests daylight and focuses it to the facility floor using no electricity.

This forward-thinking legislation will position Wisconsin as a nationwide leader in energy efficiency and set a precedent for other states to include these innovative technologies in their policies and legislation.

But the legislation goes beyond simply creating an improved environment. The bill, dubbed the Wisconsin Energy Employment Act, also is designed to create jobs through the deployment and manufacturing of these innovative technologies.

For example, a facility near Green Bay utilizing the energy sources now included in the bill will employ 30 full-time employees in addition to the jobs created through the construction of the waste-to-energy facility. A plasma gasification facility in Milwaukee will generate electric and thermal energy while generating approximately 50 full-time jobs for Wisconsin workers. Up to 150 jobs will be created for the construction of the facility.

And Orion’s own Apollo solar light pipe is expected to create up to 2.8 million hours of work for contractors hired to install the technology.

This legislation will have far-reaching effects by improving the environment and creating jobs, which will directly impact the struggling economy.