What Obama Should Have Said in the SOTU: Businesses Wants Action on Clean Energy and Climate Change

Business is clear: Their priority isn’t deficit reduction and budget cuts. Their priority is action, now, on clean energy and climate change.

Nobody (well, nobody sane) would argue that Bloomberg is a bunch of socialists. They’re the premier business wire in the nation. And their study of energy executives was clear:”…Given the projected growth in energy demand around the world and the urgency of addressing the climate challenge, enhancing energy efficiency and increasing renewable energy may require more than free market forces.”

Shorter version: We want government funding for infrastructure and innovation.

…More of our State of the Union Coverage:
State of the Union – Video and full text
Video and full text of Paul Ryan’s Republican response
Video and full text of Michele Bachmann’s Tea Party response
Environmental State of the Union
Planetsave’s roundup from around the blogosphere

Here’s who was interviewed for the ABB/ Bloomberg survey:

…Senior executives at leading large and midsize companies who are involved in the energy industry. These industry stakeholders include: energy producers (renewable/non-renewable), distributors, end users, consultants, and government/NGO officials working in energy policy. Overall, a total of 486 energy industry stakeholders across the globe were surveyed in this research program.

And here’s what they found (pdf):

Does that checklist sound familiar? It could have come right off the pages of President Obama’s State of the Union address.

The research was unequivocal: When it comes to energy and climate solutions, business is backing President Obama’s initiatives, not the House Republicans’ budget-slashing.