Green Right Now recently took a look at the nation’s top green governors who are leading the fight against climate change:

Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger of California — “The Governor is sincere in his green efforts,” says Leo Kay, director of communications for the Air Resources Board. “He puts his money where his mouth is. He’s been very supportive of diesel pollution regulation and even replaced the chair of the board last summer with the very respected Mary Nichols. He has regularly opposed offshore drilling and is much more interested in the possibilities of renewable energy.”

Democrat Deval Patrick of Massachusetts — Like his West Coast counterpart, Massachusetts Governor Patrick has been a stickler on environmental issues since being elected in 2006. On July 2, he signed a massive energy reform bill (the Green Communities Act) which will lessen electric bills, develop more renewable energy and stimulate the clean energy industry.

Minnesota Governor Republican Tim Pawlenty — He was the key author of the Securing a Clean Energy Future (SCEF) Initiative which was the focus of the business portion of the NGA meeting earlier this month. At the four-day event, the NGA announced a state-industry partnership between the SCEF Initiative and General Motors Corporation. Pawlenty also is responsible for the Clean Energy Technology Collaborative, which is a group that gives advice to the governor’s staff on technological advances and research in an effort to achieve the state’s energy goals.

Kansas Governor Democrat Kathleen Sebelius — She was a co-chair of the SCEF Initiative and like Pawlenty, has a keen interest in green issues. Earlier this year, despite congressional opposition, she vetoed the construction of two large-scale coal power plants proposed for Holcomb Station in western Kansas.

Pennsylvania Governor Democrat Edward Rendell — He signed the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act, the state’s first global warming law requiring the state to keep an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and set up a registry for business and industry to track their emissions and receive credit for pollution reductions. Rendell also shepherded a program to protect green spaces under a $625 million Growing Greener 2 investment initiative aimed at cleaning up polluted streams and parks and recovering industrial sites, while also creating jobs and investment opportunities.

Florida Governor Republican Charlie Crist — Knee-deep in environmental issues, Crist has convened two Florida summits on global climate change since taking office in 2007. Deforestation, a large environmental concern in Florida, is the third largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In 2007, the governor signed an agreement with the UK to promote the initiatives of the Kyoto Protocol and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2012.

Washington Governor Democrat Chris Gregoire — She signed an executive order last year to reduce her state’s emissions and build a clean energy economy, noting at the time that “…the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded our planet’s atmosphere has more greenhouse gases in it now than any time during the last 650,000 years. It is equally clear that humans are causing our climate to change by burning massive amounts of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.” She set goals that include reducing the state’s emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and lowering emissions by another 25 percent by 2035.

Oregon Governor Democrat Ted Kulongoski — Like Gov. Corzine of New Jersey, Kulongoski is concerned about lifting the offshore drilling ban on his coast. Earlier last week, he said, “More drilling for a diminishing resource is not the answer for giving our country energy security or freeing us from our addiction to fossil fuels.” The governor’s office is sponsoring a commuter challenge this summer for the state’s 8,500 employees, stressing bicycling, public transportation and car-pooling options for getting to work. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 500,000 pounds.

For more information, see the story at GreenRightNow.com.