Via the ACES Act Clean Tech Business Coalition.

Dear Senators:

We write you as the entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors of the growing clean technology economy to urge your support for an American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act. As new energy business leaders from across the country, we fully support the legislation’s goals: to create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy.

A New Economic Engine & Jobs at Home.

Only occasionally does Congress have the opportunity to shape a brand new economy and spark long-lasting nationwide growth. The federal government has done it before – by building the transcontinental railroad in the middle of the Civil War, through the Marshall Plan after World War II, and by sparking the broadband Internet revolution in the 1990s. In the midst of the current recession and with billions of private dollars waiting to invest in the clean tech economy, your vote to pass ACES will free up capital, generate more than one million new jobsin every part of the United States (including your home state), and create a new economic engine.

A Competitive Necessity.

Our competitors are not waiting on us to make the first move, having already adopted national policies and incentives like those in the ACES Act. China has arguably taken the world lead in green technology while pulling ahead of the U.S. in producing a new generation of cars, exporting solar panels, and increasing wind energy capacity. Germany and Spain are also outpacing the United States. We still have advantages, especially in our intellectual property rules and the development of our investor market, but the U.S. cannot afford to wait any longer.

A National Security Imperative.

Every year, the United States imports two-thirds of our oil from other countries, most of whom do not share our democratic values or our free market sensibilities. We send more than $250 billion overseas for an oil habit that has sent us to war and left us at the mercy of other nations’ leaders. This is unacceptable when we have a clear path to keep our jobs and money here at home.

As business leaders in the clean energy economy, we ask respectfully for your decisive support to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act this year. The ACES Act will create non-outsourceable jobs, serve our national security interests, and keep us competitive in the increasingly challenging international marketplace. It is imperative that our national leaders take action now in order to achieve these benefits and to ensure American leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

Clean Tech Entrepreneurs, Investors, Companies, and Advocates

Full list of original signatories below the fold.

Omar Ahmad

CEO, SynCH Energy, Inc.

Bruce Anderson
CEO, Wilson TurboPower, Inc.

Jared Asch

General Manager, Efficiency First

John Balbach

Founder & Managing Partner, Global Alliances

David Bangs

President, Home Performance Washington

Josh Becker

Founder & General Partner, New Cycle Capital

Yobie Benjamin

Founder, True Carbon Inc.

Ben Bentley

CEO, The LeverEdge, Inc.

Erik Blachford

CEO, TerraPass

Julie Blackwell

Senior Director, Team Earth, Conservation International

Jon Bonanno

Chairman, Principle Power, Inc.

Tobin Booth

CEO, Blue Oak Energy, Inc.

Adam Boucher

Founder, Ethos Fund

Adam Browning

Executive Director, VoteSolar

Warren Byrne

President and CEO, Foresight Wind Energy, Inc.

Bob Cart

Founder & Executive Chairman, GreenVolts, Inc.

Barry Cinnamon

Founder & CEO, Akeena Solar, Inc.

Terry Clark

CEO, Finelite, Inc.

Wade Crowfoot

West Coast Political Director, Environmental Defense Fund

Michael Davis

President, US Pure Water Corporation

Frank deRosa

CEO, NextLight, Inc.

Cisco DeVries

President, Renewable Funding

David Ellington

Managing Partner, Emory Capital Group

Rob Ferber

CEO and Co-Founder, ElectronVault, Inc.

Bob Fishman

President and CEO, Ausra, Inc.

Paul Fox

Principal, CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund

Zach Gentry

CEO, Adura Technology, Inc.

T.J. Glauthier

Chairman, EPV Solar, Inc.

Matt Golden

President, Sustainable Places, Inc.

Harry Hagaman

President, Green Design Systems

Tim Healy

CEO, EnerNOC, Inc.

David Hochschild

Vice President of External Relations, Solaria, Inc.

Danny Kennedy

President, Sungevity , Inc.

Vinod Khosla

Founder, Khosla Ventures

Felix Kramer

Founder, CalCars

Craig Lewis

Founding Principal, RightCycle, Inc.

Richard Lowenthal

CEO, Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Tim Ludwig

Partner, Ohana Capital

Linda Maepa

Co-Founder and COO, ElectronVault, Inc.

Tom McCalmont

Chair, SolarTech; CEO, Real Goods Solar, Inc.

Ed Murray, Ph.D.

Principal, Clean Tech Consulting

Rex Northen

Executive Director, Clean Tech Open

Genevieve Nowicki

Director of Government Relations, Solar Power Partners

Christian Okonsky

CEO, KLD Energy, Inc.

Fergal O’Moore

Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, OCS Energy, Inc.

Jack Oswald

CEO, SynGest, Inc.

Bruce Pasternack

Venture Partner, CMEA Capital

Sunil Paul

Founder, Spring Ventures