House Adopts Markey-Capps Amendment To Support Green Business Consortiums like Central Coast’s Great Coast Innovation Zone
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last Friday, Rep. Lois Capps voted to create jobs and ensure America’s long term competitiveness in science and technology by supporting the America COMPETES Act, H.R. 5116. The COMPETES Act will fund research and development, Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) education, and support manufacturers.
During debate on the bill, the House adopted an amendment offered by Capps and Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) to create a pilot Clean Energy Consortium program, which would strengthen the link between research and development activities and economic development by accelerating the commercialization of new clean energy technology. The amendment passed by a vote of 254 to 173. A Clean Energy Consortium links research universities, national labs, businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and other state and nongovernmental organizations with expertise in clean energy development. The program is based on a program originally included in the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R 2454).
“The United States was at the forefront of every major technological innovation in the last century, and I want to make sure we retain that leadership in this century as well. The passage of the Clean Energy Consortium program ensures that new technologies and innovations can move out of the laboratory and into the market, creating jobs in a burgeoning industry. The Central Coast’s Green Coast Innovation Zone is built on this model and I am happy it might have access to additional funding and resources thanks to the passage of my amendment,” said Capps. “Half of the growth in GDP since WWII is attributable to the adoption of new technologies. Getting these new technologies to market is essential to maintaining our economic competitiveness.”
The COMPETES Act has been endorsed by more than 750 businesses and trade associations, including the Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, Information Technology Industry Council, Business Roundtable, TechNet, American Council on Education, and American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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