“As President Obama delivers his State of the Union address tonight, Washington, D.C. is focused on the politics of conflict. Largely overlooked is the chance we have for a politics of prosperity. The U.S. economy is picking up steam. Falling prices of oil and natural gas are putting dollars back in the pockets of consumers, making American businesses more competitive, and accelerating economic growth. We need to take advantage of today’s low fuel prices to accelerate new energy solutions that protect us from the volatility of fuel costs, not kid ourselves into thinking those costs won’t go back up. Those new energy solutions are building an industry – a $170 billion industry in the U.S. The advanced energy industry also means jobs – more than 500,000 in California alone before this year is out. The politics of prosperity can give us a new politics of energy. Let’s not squander the opportunity.”
See Graham Richard’s op-ed, “Energy and the politics of prosperity,” on The Hill’s Congress blog.
About Advanced Energy Economy
Advanced Energy Economy is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. Advanced energy encompasses a broad range of products and services that constitute the best available technologies for meeting energy needs today and tomorrow. AEE’s mission is to transform public policy to enable rapid growth of advanced energy businesses. AEE and its State and Regional Partner organizations are active in 25 states across the country, representing more than 1,000 companies and organizations in the advanced energy industry. Visit AEE online at www.aee.net