Statement in Support of Senator Stabenow's Amendment to the Surface Transportation Authorization (S. 1813)
March 13, 2012
Whichever countries seize the lion’s share of the $2.3 trillion global clean energy market will have a huge opportunity for economic growth in the 21st century. American companies, working with the federal government, invented many of the technologies that are driving this expansion. While we lost our edge for much of the early 2000s, clean energy has rebounded in the United States, led by a 250% expansion of solar energy generation and 350% increase in wind over the past five years. This has dramatically reduced pollution and generated billions of dollars in annual revenues for American companies. This growth could plummet, immediately, unless the Senate backs a proposal by Senator Debbie Stabenow to provide businesses with certainty by extending clean energy tax incentives until comprehensive reform is possible. If the Senate fails to act, American businesses will find themselves, once again, falling far behind our competitors from China, Brazil, Germany, and other countries.
