Acting Deputy Secretary Patrick Gallagher yesterday spoke
at the first-ever American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Partnership
Summit in Washington, DC. Co-hosted by the Department of Energy's Energy
Efficiency & Renewable Energy Office and the Council on Competitiveness,
the first annual gathering brought together leaders from government, academia,
industry and more to address national priorities in energy and manufacturing.
Dr. Gallagher gave brief remarks on the importance of
energy and manufacturing to the Administration, the Commerce Department, and to
our country as a whole. For many reasons, including the generation of more
renewable energy than ever before, the U.S. has become an increasingly
attractive place for foreign direct investment.
Several Commerce agencies are working to help companies
continue to deepen their investments in the United States in order to maintain
the U.S. position as the world's leading producer of environmental technologies
in the 21st century. Specifically, Gallagher cited National Institute of
Standards and Technology scientists who are reengineering America's electric
grid and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's efforts to fast-track patent
applications related to renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction.
The Commerce Department is at the intersection of issues
like energy, sustainability, the environment, innovation and competitiveness,
whose links are becoming stronger and more complex. Manufacturing in particular
is a key indicator of our country’s innovative capacity, which is why
strengthening manufacturing is a major focus of the Commerce Department's
recently released "Open
for Business Agenda." As the federal agency responsible for leading
the government’s manufacturing policy, Commerce plans to support manufacturing
at every stage of the product life cycle. Specific initiatives include
promoting pre-competitive collaboration among leading-edge manufacturers
nationwide and investing in communities that develop comprehensive strategies
that strengthen their competitive edge in attracting global manufacturers.