TreeHugger Picks: States of the Union

Last night, President Bush filled us in on the State of the Union here in the US; despite mentioning biofuels and even "the serious challenge of global climate change," in the past year, individual states have left the feds with some catching up to do when it comes to using renewable energy and combating climate change. Here are some of our picks for states in our union doing noteworthy work.

1) California enacted the country's toughest global warming bill that left readers wondering how to get their states to follow.
2) Home to the first municipal carbon tax in Boulder, Colorado is on the way to bringing renewable energy center stage.
3) New York is expanding the sale of hydro power; not to be outdone, New Jersey is heading for the forefront of solar energy development.
4) The Midwest is in on the act, too: Illinois has mandated recycling of all government-owned electronic devices and Iowa will invest $100 million in renewable energy development.
5) Last (but not least), Washington (the state, not the district) has incentivized home solar production and extended the ban on phosphorus from laundry detergent to include automatic dish detergent.