One of the silver linings of the Bush era is that states have become the laboratories for progressive policies. When I was still writing at DemWatch, I even went so far as to make the case for a new Democratic focus on state's rights. After all, with Republicans having gerrymandered the nation into GOP control, if we want to get anything accomplished, we're better off doing it at the state and local levels than seeking change in Washington, DC. That's not to say we shouldn't work to change things nationally, but Democrats have been pretty successful in making a real difference at the state level.

An article in Sunday's Washington Post specifically examined some of the environmental and energy policy innovation going on in the blue states.

Seven states that voted Democratic in 2004's presidential election have signed on to a regional plan to restrict power plant emissions. Eleven states that went Democratic have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, automobile tailpipe emissions requirements, which face a court challenge before they can be implemented. Nine of the 10 states that have adopted appliance efficiency regulations also voted Democratic.

Requirements that a portion of electricity come from renewable sources have caught on beyond the Democratic-leaning states. Seven states that went Republican in 2004 have joined 13 Democratic-leaning states and the District of Columbia in setting those rules.

Though the new regulations are not necessarily partisan, the activists behind them say their adoption requires lawmakers and constituents who are concerned about global warming and energy-conservation -- issues that Democrats often emphasize.

How the Post could publish an article on Democratic energy policy without mentioning Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer's expansive plans for coal liquefaction is somewhat confusing. However, the article seems to draw a distinction between states that voted for Kerry in 2004 and states with Democratic governors or Democratic legislative majorities. It seems to me that when you add those states to the mix, a more complete picture of progressive policy strength comes into view. After all, Democratic governors in red states West Virginia and Tennessee are also considering similar plans. As Amy Myers Jaffe of the Rice University Energy Program tells the Post, "the left is controlling that agenda... by implementing it at the community and state level."

And it's not just on energy and environmental policy that states are outpacing the federal government. Knight-Ridder published an op-ed by John Podesta of the Center for American Progress and Steve Doherty of the Progressive Legislative Action Network this morning about state efforts on ethics reform. They compiled a short list of progressive reform measures already successful in some states that can be adopted by others.

What can be done to restore trust in government in the states? Luckily, a small handful of states have pioneered reforms that can be easily copied, shaped to fit unique circumstances and applied across the country.

As legislators in many states return to work this month, they should consider taking a few steps to clean up their chambers and restore trust in our system of government, starting at the state level:

• Let the sunshine in. The easiest reform to make is to simply ensure that lobbyists and the powerful interests they represent are required to disclose their expenses in a detailed, public manner. Such disclosure forms should be easily searchable by the public so that both traditional journalists and citizens and bloggers can root out basic information.
  
• Ban the gifts. Four states have issued blanket bans on gifts from lobbyists to state lawmakers. Other states should follow suit and prohibit legislators from wining and dining on the tab of special interests.
  
• Slow the revolving door. Too often, term limited legislators can start negotiating for lobbying positions even before they leave office. Creating a cooling-down period before the job negotiations begin can help ensure that legislators are focused on representing the people who elected them.
  
• End the pay-to-play system. Connecticut and Arizona have taken the lead in creating publicly financed elections that allow candidates to opt out of the traditional pay-to-play campaign finance system. Public financing leaves politicians to run for office uncorrupted by big money from powerful interests. It also leaves voters free to choose candidates who aren't bought-and-paid for by special interests.

If I had a dime for every time I heard the DC cocktail party circuit regulars talk about how Democrats are devoid of ideas, I'd be a very rich man. Not only do the national Democrats have a small mountain of policy proposals sitting on the shelf, waiting for Democratic majorities in Congress to pass it, but Democrats in the states are actually getting things done. If anyone wants to know what Democratic control in Washington would look like, look to the states.

UPDATE: As if to punctuate my point, the West Virginia Senate has unanimously passed Democratic Governor Joe Manchin's sweeping mine safety legislation.

The state House was expected to take up the measure later in the afternoon at the urging of Gov. Joe Manchin, who pressed lawmakers to pass the legislation by the end of the day.

"We can't afford to wait any longer," Manchin said after two miners were found dead over the weekend in a mine fire in Melville. Three weeks ago, 12 miners died after an explosion at the Sago Mine....

The governor's legislation would require improved communications and the electronic tracking of coal miners underground, as well as faster emergency response and the storage of additional air supplies underground.

If the 14 miners who died in two accidents since Jan. 2 had been wearing a tracking device, "we could have concentrated all our efforts, all our resources on that one location," Manchin said.

Another state success in an area where the federal government has failed.