Energy Security, Innovation & Sustainability Initiative Latest Council Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, announced a new initiative that seeks to enhance U.S. competitiveness and energy security. The initiative will be co-chaired by Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; D. Michael Langford, national president of Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO; and James W. Owens, chairman and chief executive officer of Caterpillar Inc.

Together, energy security and sustainability are key U.S. competitiveness issues because of their direct impact on the productivity of U.S. companies and the standard of living of all Americans. During the next 18 months, the Council on Competitiveness will conduct a series of high-level, expert dialogues to examine the competitiveness implications of today's energy challenges and opportunities. The dialogues will highlight the critical role private sector demand will play in moving the nation forward to a more secure and sustainable energy future.

“Rising energy prices extend beyond gas pumps and affect the ability of U.S. corporations to compete in the global economy,” said Wince-Smith. “By creating the conditions that will foster private sector innovation and investment in more sustainable energy approaches, we can improve our economy, environment, national security and standard of living.”

The idea for the initiative emerged during the Council’s National Innovation Initiative, which produced the landmark report Innovate America in 2005. The report identified energy as a critical part of the infrastructure needed to support an innovative economy – the foundation of U.S. competitiveness.

As with the National Innovation Initiative, the Energy Security, Innovation and Sustainability Initiative will focus strongly on the private sector and synergistic collaborations with academia and labor on innovation and competitiveness.

The initiative’s steering committee will be drawn from the executive suite of major U.S. corporations, universities and labor unions.