MINNEAPOLIS , MN – Today, polar explorer Will Steger and several Minnesota business leaders discussed the opportunities for clean energy solutions in Minnesota. They gathered at a press conference co-hosted by Environment Minnesota at a solar energy business in Minneapolis. The group illustrated the importance a strong limit on carbon emissions has on future investments and job growth and why the U.S. needs bold climate action in 2010.
Entrepreneurs and business leaders who support strong climate and clean energy legislation are convinced that a limit on emissions is the only market-based tool that will create the kind of demand needed to create new business opportunities and jobs for America. They see it as vital to long-term economic competitiveness, as clean energy will unleash a flurry of new investments leading to the creation of new jobs and the restoration of our country’s technological edge.
“I recently returned from the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark where I witnessed the critical role the U.S. plays in moving the international climate community forward on a legally, binding climate treaty; the U.S. Senate must pass energy and climate legislation in order for the U.S., and emerging economies like China and India, to agree on a binding international agreement,” said Will Steger.
Joining Steger were Minnesota business leaders who recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. where they met with Minnesota’s Congressional delegation and urged them to pass comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation this year. They joined over 200 other business leaders from across the nation to discuss the potential such legislation has for American business and job creation. “Participants in today’s event mirror a growing number of Americans who want solutions, not band aids, to the economic problems we now face,” said Terry Gips of Sustainability Associates.
“A well regulated mechanism for limiting carbon emissions will reward those businesses that recognize the value of clean air, and will hold accountable those businesses that don't. And we get another massive perk: we decrease our dependence on foreign oil and grow our local economies. I cannot think of a better plan in our difficult times,” said Gerardo Ruiz of freEner-g, a local solar business.
