Greetings! As Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), I welcome the opportunity to serve the U.S. government at a critical juncture. In his annual State of the Union Address, President Bush stated, "The United States is committed to strengthening our energy security and confronting global climate change. And the best way to meet these goals is for America to continue leading the way toward the development of cleaner and more energy-efficient technology." The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will play an important role in this commitment by advancing technologies such as biomass and biofuels, solar power, wind power, advanced vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells.
The Advanced Energy Initiative and the energy funding commitments made in the 2008 State of the Union Address aim to set us more clearly on the path to ending our reliance on the petroleum economy and establishing greater energy security. With nearly two decades of the energy business behind me, I can see clearly that the energy industry is on the precipice of major change. By questioning conventional wisdom and embracing ambitious timetables, we can bring about positive commercialization opportunities for new technologies. I believe that success will be defined by enabling commercial frameworks and free enterprise to accelerate the development and deployment of new energy technologies to address these energy challenges head on.
In the coming months, I will seek to expand the efforts to advance the commercialization and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. I invite you to learn more about my background, as well as the backgrounds of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Mizroch, Chief Operating Officer Paul Dickerson, and the other members of the EERE management team. As leaders at EERE, we welcome the participation of energy businesses and people of goodwill throughout the country coming together to achieve these goals, bringing a safer, cleaner, sustainable, and more secure future to our country and a better, healthier world for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Alexander Karsner
Assistant Secretary Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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