Thank for you for inviting me to be here today, and thank you for being part of the national effort to grow our economy through innovations in energy. As many of you know, energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies have been at the forefront of congressional efforts over the past couple of years to put Americans back to work and lay the foundation for our economic future.  The Recovery Act alone included over $45 billion in investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs and another $21 billion in energy tax incentives, and Congress has taken various other steps to encourage families and businesses to adopt cleaner, more efficient energy technologies.  Not surprisingly, the Triangle has been a major beneficiary of these programs and is poised to be a national leader in the new “green” economy.
 
In addition to funding research and innovation that will help us to make energy sources that will never run out—like wind and solar—more competitive, the Recovery Act will also help make our current energy sources cleaner and more efficient.  The weatherization, energy efficiency, and conservation programs advance both of those goals.  The end result is that Americans save both energy and money. 
You are part of our country’s effort to create jobs and bring our economy back to full strength.  Even better: these are good jobs, on the cutting edge of our economy, and they will be there for North Carolinians in the future.

All of you are here today because you recognize the benefits of these investments for our region and for the country as a whole…but also because you recognize that the success of the Recovery Act will depend on creative solutions and effective implementation at the local level.  And so I applaud the Department of Energy and the State of North Carolina’s Energy Office for conducting this grantee workshop and others like it across the state.

I am confident that you, our North Carolina grantees, will prove to be responsible stewards of these public funds, and I look forward to continuing to partner with state and local governments on energy initiatives in the future.  As you work to meet our state’s energy needs, do not hesitate to be in touch if my office can ever be of assistance.

Thank you again for having me here today, and I wish you the best as you go about your important work.