Oregon, facing the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the nation, has stepped up its campaign to lure clean-technology companies in an effort to pull itself out of the recession.

The Oregon Business Development Department's network of about 45 economic-development officials has more than doubled the time spent reaching out to clean-tech companies since 2008, said Bruce Laird, clean-tech recruitment officer in the department. In February, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski assembled a group of industry leaders to help the state compete for federal stimulus dollars for clean-tech projects. And this month, he vetoed legislation that would have reduced tax breaks for clean-energy companies.