Corker Participates in Governor’s Summit on Clean Energy, Says Tennessee at Forefront of Emerging Technologies to Help Make America More Energy Secure

October 15, 2008 | By Nathan Hull In Top Tech News |

KNOXVILLE - U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today spoke at a breakfast that is part of the Governor’s Summit on Clean Energy Technology being held at the Knoxville Convention Center, Oct. 14-15.

“Tennessee is at the forefront of emerging technologies that will one day, hopefully in the very near future, allow us to produce more energy here at home, conserve more and take better care of the environment,” Corker said. “This summit exemplifies the bipartisan spirit that is essential to crafting a comprehensive national energy policy for America that is in the best interest of our national security and our economy. By working together, we can encourage the development of alternative and renewable energies that will spawn entire new industries, creating new, good paying jobs here in Tennessee and across the country instead of sending billions of dollars overseas to purchase oil from dangerous and unstable parts of the world.

“I’m hopeful that when the 111th Congress is sworn in next January, energy will be at the top of the agenda, and we will be able to take important steps toward making America more energy secure. In the meantime, I thank Governor Bredesen, Senator Baker and all those who participated in this summit to explore meaningful solutions to a problem that affects us all.”

The summit, hosted by Gov. Phil Bredesen, former U.S. Senator Howard Baker, and The University of Tennessee’s Baker Center for Public Policy, brings together more than 30 panelists from the areas of business, government, energy and the environment to discuss the development of clean energy technology. Participants include: U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander; TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore; ORNL Director Thom Mason; UT President John Petersen; and Appalachian Regional Commission Co-Chair Anne Pope.

Corker has made energy a major priority in the U.S. Senate. This summer he joined a bipartisan coalition of senators in sponsoring legislation that calls for targeted, responsible domestic production of energy resources, an intensive effort to transition vehicles to non-petroleum based fuels, and a robust federal commitment to conservation and energy efficiency.

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