Domestic Fuel

America is in danger of falling behind Asia when it comes to wind energy production. And the chief of General Electric says that is jeopardizing this country’s energy future.

Business Week reports that in remarks to the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Conference near Washington, DC, General Electric Co. chief Jeffrey Immelt said America must not give away this growth to every other country in the world:

Asia makes more than half the world’s wind and solar energy equipment, and is gaining ground as U.S. factories lose out to cheaper labor and higher demand for clean energy. China for the first time topped the U.S. in wind-turbine manufacturing and installations last year, the Brussels-based Global Wind Energy Council said yesterday in a report.

Immelt has helped lead the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, or USCAP, a coalition of businesses and environmental groups calling for Congress to put a cap on carbon-dioxide emissions. The group says legislation is needed so companies such as utilities and their suppliers know how to proceed with long-term investments. A measure passed by the House last year has stalled in the Senate.

The article goes on to say that Duke Energy Corp. CEO Jim Rogers told reporters at the conference that politicians need to change the argument away from scaring the public with polar bears on melting icebergs to focusing on what will stimulate the economy and create jobs … and then save the environment.