Washington, D.C. -- The bipartisan and nonprofit American Businesses for Clean Energy (ABCE) initiative lent its support to the “Clean Energy Week” in Washington, D.C. ABCE is a diverse group of businesses that support Congressional action to pass clean energy and climate legislation that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

ABCE spokesperson Christopher Van Atten said:  “We are very pleased to lend our support to the important Clean Energy Week campaign. The rapid increase in business flocking to ABCE sends a powerful signal to Congress of the strong support for meaningful and effective legislation that will drive clean technology innovation, create jobs, and address the threat of global climate change.”

Van Atten said that the strong grassroots network of ABCE is an ideal counterpart to such major-company efforts as:  U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), an alliance of scores of major businesses and nonprofit groups; Ceres’ Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), which includes 16 consumer-oriented companies advocating for strong climate and clean energy policies; and the 150-company We Can Lead campaign, which is sponsored by the Clean Economy Network and BICEP.

Among the recent new members of ABCE is Serious Materials, Inc., a Sunnyvale, California-based company that manufactures energy-efficient building materials.  The company’s CEO was named “Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009” by Inc. magazine.  Other recently added members include: The Saunders Hotel Group, a Boston-based hotel management firm with properties throughout the Northeast; and Recycled Energy Development, a Westmont, Illinois-based developer of industrial cogeneration projects.

ABCE’s message is bold and clear: “We are businesses from a broad cross-section of American industry that support Congressional action to enact clean energy and climate legislation that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now is the time to act.”

Some of the first signatories to the ABCE pledge of support included Aspen Skiing Company, Avista, Calpine Corporation, Conservation Services Group, DB Climate Change Advisors (Deutsche Bank Group), FPL Group, Gap Inc., National Grid, New York Power Authority, PNM Resources, and Public Service Enterprise Group. To see a full list of companies go to: www.AmericanBusinessesforCleanEnergy.org.


ABOUT AMERICAN BUSINESSES FOR CLEAN ENERGY
ABCE is intended as a broad umbrella organization to show the breadth of business support for clean energy and climate legislation. ABCE will not develop detailed policy recommendations or evaluate specific proposals since existing business coalitions already address those needs. The ABCE initiative is open to any company or business association that supports Congressional action to pass effective climate and energy legislation now. By joining the initiative, these companies are making a public statement urging Congress to act.

To learn more about American Businesses for Clean Energy (ABCE) and to pledge support for clean energy legislation, please visit: www.AmericanBusinessesforCleanEnergy.org.