WASHINGTON, DC (March 26, 2013) – Today BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster applauded the launch of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI) by the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.

“It’s not every day that we have an opportunity to recapture uniquely American strengths in manufacturing and put them to work against global competitors in an emerging industry like clean energy. The strategic work of the Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative will help to ensure we’re leveraging investments to create as many jobs and as much economic growth for the U.S. economy as possible, while saving energy and protecting the environment.

“Over the past few years, wind turbine, solar panel, and fuel-efficient vehicle manufacturing have shown promising growth. CEMI’s priorities of increasing research and development, developing competitiveness analysis, increasing energy productivity resources and building new partnerships to boost clean energy manufacturing will help to provide long-term certainty and guidance so that American manufacturing of these products can compete against global competitors like China and Germany.

“Meeting the demands of clean energy manufacturing marketplace is an opportunity American workers can’t afford to miss out on. This important initiative puts America on track to make sure clean energy is a win for manufacturers, workers, consumers, and the environment, now and for generations to come.”