Press Release

Statement by U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez on Energy Security and Climate Change Meeting

WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez released the following statement on President George Bush’s announcement of an invitation to leaders of major economies to attend an energy security and climate change meeting in Washington, D.C., September 27-28.

“From our efforts to boost economic growth and new technologies to providing world class climate research, President Bush is leading the way to achieving international consensus on solutions that will deliver real results. Climate change is a global issue and requires commitments and engagement by all of the major economies. The President is inviting leading officials from major economies to Washington, D.C. to start developing a post 2012 framework to address global climate change and strengthen our energy security.

“The Department of Commerce is key to the U.S. effort on climate change. I will be drawing from the breadth of the Department’s expertise to support the President in this initiative. As we look to develop the post 2012 framework, through the President’s leadership and initiative we will be addressing one of the key flaws of previous frameworks - the lack of requirements for meaningful engagement and commitment to action by countries that will account for a great deal of all future emissions growth.

Background:

Commerce Co-Chairs the Interagency Working Group on Climate Change Science and Technology with the Department of Energy and is engaged in climate science and policy across all aspects of society.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts fundamental climate science and modeling and is the leading source in the government for understanding how climate change will impact our society through changing weather patterns and ecosystems.

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducts fundamental research on clean energy and develops standards that lead to the deployment of new technologies.

• The International Trade Administration (ITA) leads the Administration’s efforts to eliminate trade barriers to the adoption of clean energy technologies and to spur the deployment of these technologies to China and India.