2Sustain

Democratic lawmakers are making a push to promote U.S. exports of clean energy technology.

And that’s welcome news to the clean tech sector.

After all, researchers now estimate that the global market for environmental goods and services is about $700 billion. But, only six of the top 30 global leaders in this sector are American-owned companies.

According to Reuters, the proposed legislation would:

• Create a $15 million fund to increase the competitiveness of U.S. clean energy technology.

• Boost exports (President Obama’s goal is to double U.S. exports in five years.)

• Promote policies a aimed at reducing production costs and encouraging innovation and investment in the industry.

“The U.S. must be the leader in manufacturing and exporting clean technologies, not one that becomes dependent on foreign energy products,” U.S. Representative Doris Matsui, a California Democrat, said in a statement. See comments from others here.

Just yesterday, Clipper Windpower Inc., a manufacturer of wind turbines located in Carpinteria, Calif., was recognized for breaking into the global marketplace by exporting 27 Liberty 2.5-megawatt wind turbines to Mexico. This was the first large U.S. wind technology sale in Latin America. The turbines created a wind farm that now produces energy for Walmart stores in Mexico.