Utility executives: key partners in building clean energy market

Last month, President Obama tapped clean energy specialist John Bryson to head the Commerce Department. Bryson is a former utility executive and a co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In a new Huffington Post column, SmartPower President Brian F. Keane says this appointment makes it clear that the ill affection toward “bad guy” utility companies is making way for a new phase of climate consciousness:

Obama’s nomination of Bryson reveals a new approach to coping with climate change — one that’s also a way of coping with the recession. Placing a [former] utility exec as head in the top U.S. trade chair signals that utility companies and clean energy programs are obvious partners in the fight to create jobs and increase global competitiveness. … It doesn’t hurt that these economy boosters are also crucial for combatting global warming and ensuring future generations have the tools to continue doing so.

Read more over at the Huffington Post.