Remarks at Signing Ceremony With Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Support of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate

Today, we will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to promote greater energy efficiency in buildings in China I’d like to welcome Mike Davis and Meredydd Evans of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory here to the State Department.

I would also like to thank Senator Maria Cantwell and Charge d’Affaires ad interim Xie Feng, of the Chinese Embassy for joining us to acknowledge the potential this partnership offers both for the State of Washington and the People’s Republic of China.

I’d also like to acknowledge Reno Harnish, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science here at the State Department, and Griff Thompson, U.S. Program Manager of the Asia-Pacific Partnership.

Climate change and energy security are two of the greatest challenges of our time, and the United States is committed to addressing these challenges head-on. As many of you know, climate negotiators are meeting right now at the UN climate conference in Poland. I look forward to joining our team next week and continuing our effort to develop an environmentally effective and economically sustainable global architecture for the post-2012 period.

As we work on a global arrangement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United States is also committed to taking concrete steps in the short term that can lead to tangible, on-the-ground progress. The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate embodies exactly the type of practical, innovative thinking we need. The APP brings together seven partner countries -- collectively accounting for more than half of the world's economy, population and energy use – to foster the uptake of clean energy.

In addition to the United States and China, the APP includes Australia, Canada, India, Japan, and South Korea. And, importantly, the APP includes representatives from governments and the private sector. The APP focuses on cooperation in eight key energy-intensive sectors, ranging from buildings and appliances to steel to power generation.

From joint work on buildings in the Beijing Olympic Village to increasing the use of energy efficiency labels on appliances throughout Asia, APP projects are resulting in real benefits in all Partner countries.

To date, the United States has appropriated over $65 million to the APP. That funding has been a solid investment. After nearly three years of hard work, significant progress is being made on the more than 150 projects currently endorsed by the Partnership.

This year, we called for proposals from U.S. and Chinese organizations to do clean energy work in China. From a competitive field of over 90 proposals, eight projects were selected through a rigorous interagency process.

I am pleased to announce that Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s project – "Implementation of Building Energy Codes in China" – was one of the selected recipients. As you’ll hear in a few minutes from Mike Davis and Meredydd Evans, this is a fantastic project that we think can deliver significant economic and environmental benefits.

First, it is my pleasure to introduce Senator Maria Cantwell. Senator Cantwell has represented the State of Washington in the United States Senate since 2000, and has been an outspoken supporter of clean energy, energy efficiency and harnessing technology to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. The APP has benefited from broad, bipartisan support in Congress, and we’re honored to have Senator Cantwell here with us today.