Senator Coons Participates in Roundtable on Jobs for the Clean Energy Economy

Press Release

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) participated in a roundtable discussion in the Capitol on Wednesday focused on strengthening American manufacturing and building a "green economy' that creates jobs, protects our environment, and enhances our nation's energy security. The meeting featured leaders from businesses, trade unions and environmental organizations working to repair America's infrastructure, increase job opportunities, and promote our nation's clean energy, renewable, and energy efficiency industries.

Eric Teather, president of New Castle's WhiteOptics, was among the participants and briefed senators on growing opportunities and challenges in the energy efficiency sector. Teather discussed his start-up's success manufacturing innovative, energy efficient materials in Delaware to meet the demands of the lighting industry.

"Investing in energy efficiency technology is the fastest way to strengthen our nation's energy independence, help our environment, and create jobs," Senator Coons said. "We should be doing all we can to support the researchers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs working to turn innovative ideas into sustainable new products. WhiteOptics is doing just that, harnessing the latest technology to optimize lighting efficiency and create manufacturing jobs in Delaware. I'm grateful to Eric for sharing his insights today and look forward to working with him and all of today's participants to grow our clean innovation economy."

"As a small business focused on making products that improve energy efficiency, WhiteOptics is pleased to participate in the Steering and Outreach Committee meeting on green jobs," said Eric Teather, president of WhiteOptics. "We have created a technology and competency in our field through innovation that furthers U.S. efforts as a leader in the energy-efficient lighting market. We believe that collaborative efforts between public and private sector such as these can be productive in accelerating innovation, encouraging domestic investment and ultimately increasing jobs."

WhiteOptics uses technologies developed by DuPont to manufacture innovative lighting materials and meet growing commercial demand for low-cost energy efficiency building retrofits and upgrades. The company was the recipient of a three-year, $1.5 million R&D grant from the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in January 2010.

Senator Coons is a cosponsor of the bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, which is designed to spur the use of energy-efficient technologies in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy estimates the bill would create 70,000 jobs and result in a net savings to the economy of $2.3 billion over 10 years. Senator Coons has also introduced bills to reauthorize federal energy efficiency programs, encourage valuable energy savings contracts, and help renewable and energy efficiency projects access capital at a lower cost.

Source