State energy industry organization stands ready to help leaders grow Arkansas’s advanced energy economy
November 7, 2012 – Now that voters have determined who will be representing Arkansas from Washington and the State Capitol for the next two years, it’s time to set priorities concerning what they can do for the state —and especially, for our economy, according to AAEA Executive Director Steve Patterson in a statement released Wednesday.
“Arkansas Advanced Energy Association’s members are business people from every part of the state, focused on growing their enterprises, making money, and creating jobs. So they come at energy issues not from an ideological or political perspective, but from a businessperson’s practical point of view.”
“A recent jobs analysis completed for AAEA shows that more than 11,000 of our fellow Arkansans are already working in the advanced energy economy. They develop building controls and install efficient HVAC systems. They make high-performance products like office equipment, glass, and shades. They build wind turbines. They develop new biofuels. And they have been successful. This data shows that our advanced energy industry is establishing a foothold in the Arkansas economy and has the capacity to help Arkansas rival recent advanced energy growth in neighboring states like Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.”
“At AAEA, we hope the newly elected legislature will continue to support Governor Beebe’s initiatives on wind component manufacturing. In fact, we’d like to see the initiatives expanded to include solar component manufacturing. And we hope legislators will remove barriers to energy efficiency programs that can save Arkansas families and businesses money.”
“At the national level, we need policies that encourage homegrown, American sources of energy. We need policies—including tax rules and other incentives—that foster an “all of the above” energy strategy, one that goes beyond the old fuels of the past and embraces emerging technologies, as well. “
“State and federal policies that encourage the development of the advanced energy sector are good for the businesses and families of Arkansas. AAEA stand’s ready to help all our leaders—in Little Rock and in Washington, D.C.—build a better future for us all.”
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association is a business group dedicated to growing Arkansas’s economy by expanding our energy workforce and manufacturing base through the increased development, manufacture, and utilization of advanced energy technologies.