From retrofitting old homes for energy efficiency to linking Wisconsin cities with high speed rail, turning the federal economic recovery plan green can create as many as 30,000 jobs in the state, according to a new coalition of government, environment and labor leaders.

The Coalition for Wisconsin's Green Economy on Tuesday released a plan for targeting at least $2 billion of the anticipated federal recovery money to tackle projects that improve the state's energy independence, boost public transportation, repair crumbling water and sewer systems and redevelop impoverished urban areas.

"This is not a bailout or a handout," said Melissa Scanlan, with Midwest Environmental Advocates. "This is about investing in a green economy." She said the group will work with Wisconsin's congressional delegation to emphasize the environmentally sound investments.

Signing on to the plan are a number of high-profile Wisconsin politicians, including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison. Among numerous environmental groups joining the coalition are the Sierra Club, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin.

The coalition's plan borrows several projects from a list already submitted to President-elect Barack Obama by Gov. Jim Doyle. That wish list seeks $13.8 billion for repairing and replacing infrastructure including roads, water plants and pipes and sewage treatment systems.

The list released by the new coalition Tuesday focuses on projects that create jobs yet avoid the pitfalls that have come with having those jobs linked to increased energy consumption.

Robert Kraig, with Citizen Action of Wisconsin, said the federal stimulus dollars present the kind of opportunity that comes only once a generation, the chance to not only create a new economy and new jobs but also to set the nation on a new course with respect to energy and the environment.

"We're looking at this as an opportunity," Kraig said. "We can either do it this way or do it the way we've done it in the past, kind of like investing in a typewriter at the dawn of the PC era."

While money for roads is certainly going to be part of the recovery plan, the coalition's report called for maintenance and repair of existing highways and bridges to avoid inefficient development and sprawl. Priority should be given to investment in public transit including bus systems, light rail and commuter rail. An example would be the planned Amtrak line between Madison and Milwaukee, according to Kraig. The green plan lists $755 million worth of such transit projects that could create an estimated 22,000 jobs in Wisconsin.

The plan also calls for retrofitting old homes and businesses to become more energy efficient. Training workers to do this, Kraig said, not only provides jobs immediately but gives workers skills that provide a "pathway out of poverty."