EPA and Department of Commerce Announce New Effort to Boost U.S. Jobs, Environmental Tech Exports

New effort is part of President Obama’s initiative to double U.S. exports, support American jobs

Today U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Department of Commerce Secretary John E. Bryson announced efforts to launch an environmental technology initiative to help create American jobs in the growing environmental industry. Announced at EPA’s first Technology Market Summit, this initiative, which will include a comprehensive web based portal, will promote American environmental technology, products and services in the global marketplace.

The Environmental Technologies Export Initiative builds on President Obama’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014 and support millions of American jobs.

The American environmental industry generates approximately $312 billion in revenues each year, with a global market of more than $800 billion. This growing industry employs nearly 1.7 million Americans and includes over 60,000 small businesses across the country.

When it comes to technology that conserves resources and protects the environment, America leads the rest of the world by a mile. This is largely thanks to the value Americans place on environmental protection and to the innovation of our entrepreneurs,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “As other countries start to take environmental challenges more and more seriously, there is a growing global market for the technologies that have been and continue to be developed by innovators on our shores. Today we’re taking steps make it easier for American companies to enter and succeed in that market.”
 

“Two years ago, the President launched the National Export Initiative, a government-wide effort led by the Commerce Department. We have made historic progress on the path to achieving the President's goal, but we must continue to do everything we can to support U.S. companies in selling their goods and services all around the world,” said Secretary Bryson. “One of the important strategies in the NEI is to build on our industrial strengths, and it is clear that environmental technology is one of those strengthens.”

The web-based tool, which is scheduled to be launched in fall of this year and hosted on export.gov, will offer U.S. environmental companies detailed information on U.S. government support activities including market research, scientific analysis, regulatory information, and financial support programs. EPA and Commerce are also partnering with trade associations to highlight potential growth opportunities for U.S. companies by increasing access to EPA’s scientific, technical and regulatory information and Commerce’s foreign market analysis and export promotion infrastructure. When launched, this portal will provide a more systematic approach for U.S. companies looking to expand markets for their environmental products and services abroad.

EPA co-sponsored today’s summit with American University’s Center for Environmental Policy, bringing together government, academia, investment and industry leaders to discuss the acceleration of technology development and adoption to achieve economic growth through environmental protection. Stimulating innovation and expanding the technology markets to protect people’s health and the environment will help to create jobs, develop partnerships, and identify concrete actions that the public and private sectors can take to increase investment and broaden business opportunities.

More information on President’s National Export Initiative: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-national-export-initiative

More information on EPA’s export initiatives: http://www.epa.gov/international/trade/

More information on Department of Commerce’s work promoting environmental technology: http://www.export.gov/envirotech

More information on EPA’s Technology Summit: http://www.epa.gov/envirofinance/2012summit.html