GOVERNOR PATERSON OPENS HISTORIC CONFERENCE TO EXPAND CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
Governor David A. Paterson today opened a historic meeting with representatives from 11 states and the District of Columbia in the first-ever Northeast Mid-Atlantic Governors Clean Energy Forum (NEMAG), a two-day event that will focus on the issues relating to the advancement of clean energy technologies in states throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The goal of the forum is to identify opportunities for collaboration to accelerate the use of clean energy technologies, which will play a significant role in addressing the region's energy and economic development needs, while also helping to combat global climate change.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Governor David A. Paterson today opened a historic meeting with representatives from 11 states and the District of Columbia in the first-ever Northeast Mid-Atlantic Governors Clean Energy Forum ( NEMAG ), a two-day event that will focus on the issues relating to the advancement of clean energy technologies in states throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The goal of the forum is to identify opportunities for collaboration to accelerate the use of clean energy technologies, which will play a significant role in addressing the region’s energy and economic development needs, while also helping to combat global climate change.
“Confronting our growing energy needs efficiently is one of the most critical problems we will face as a state and a nation in the coming decades. Today, New York is proud to host ten other states as we take a first step together toward achievable, renewable, and clean energy solutions,” said Governor Paterson. “New York has already taken steps towards these goals, but this issue is too important for states to work independently. Now all 11 states of the Northeast New England Governors Clean Energy Forum can and must work collaboratively for a clean and renewable energy future.”
Collectively, the states in the Clean Energy Corridor will seek to develop a significant renewable energy manufacturing sector, establish a trained clean-tech job workforce, and lead the nation in renewable energy development through progressive, forward-looking energy policies.
Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick, co-host of the forum, said: “In the past year, Massachusetts has taken major steps toward creating a clean energy future, by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy through comprehensive energy reform legislation, passing an advanced biofuels bill, and launching an oceans planning process that will identify sites for wind, wave, and tidal power in our state waters. But the Northeast and New England states have the opportunity to create a huge regional market for clean energy innovations. We owe it to ourselves, and our future, to take on that challenge, and reap the rewards.”
New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine said: “The greatest gains that we will be able to achieve in delivering affordable clean energy and reducing greenhouse gases will happen when states engage in regional collaboration. I am committed to ensuring that New Jersey leads in creating markets and incentives for clean energy that will not only spur technological innovation but also promote job growth in green sectors.”
Anne Stubbs, Executive Director of the Coalition of Northeastern Governor’s ( CONEG ), said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to bring states together in a reasoned and deliberative manner to discuss ways in which we might move the renewable energy agenda forward for the good of the region and nation. The leadership of Governor Paterson, CONEG’s Vice-Chair this year, Vermont Governor Douglas, our current Chair, and all the neighboring Governors, is exactly what we need and we need it now. These discussions are an important foundation for CONEG’s work next year under Governor Paterson’s leadership.”
The NEMAG forum will focus on the next steps for regional cooperation and strategies for sustaining ongoing intergovernmental collaboration to promote clean energy technologies. The 11 NEMAG states include: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, which is co-hosting the forum. The District of Columbia is also a member.
Issues on the NEMAG agenda include:
How the federal government can best support state efforts to advance clean energy, focusing on the potential implications of federal climate change legislation, especially key elements in legislation to accelerate clean energy deployment and innovation; State opportunities and joint actions to advance ocean-related energy development; Regional collaborative opportunities to expand and ensure the sustainable use of bioenergy as a source of renewable fuels, and to consider and implement where advisable, advancement of lower carbon fuel standards; and State opportunities and joint actions to increase coordination among the states’ renewables policies and programs, build more robust region-wide markets, and facilitate a larger regional clean energy industry. Governor Paterson stressed the importance of the review that follows the forum, which will determine the immediate next steps, including a framework for sustaining and supporting on-going collaboration and action among the states on priority issues identified.
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