"...Putting America at the cutting edge of the global energy transition will require the combined efforts of government and business -- just as it took both to put the U.S. at the cutting edge of space exploration, medical research, and microtechnology. Providing the right incentives and signals for business is the government's job. When the government does its job, we get an effective partnership that produces impressive results, including the creation of dynamic new industries that employ hundreds of thousands of American workers. But when the government fails to do its job, we get markets guided by short-term commercial interests that don't meet our long-term economic or environmental needs..."

"...Businesses need predictability and stability to thrive. The corporate sector won't make major changes for the sake of public health and safety or to protect the environment unless it gets strong signals from the U.S. government that it should do so. When the government establishes and upholds high standards and provides incentives for change, businesses are encouraged to innovate -- which creates good new jobs and more competitive industries. Many corporate leaders are asking the government for the clear signals and supportive conditions that would encourage them to invest in the development of new clean energy technologies and energy-efficient products..."

"...Government incentives and investments have helped to bring many new industries to life, from microchips to airbags. Now, government subsidies for oil, gas, and nuclear energy are helping to maintain the status quo. If clean-energy technologies and industries received the same kind of subsidies and incentives -- like renewable energy tax credits -- we'd soon have a dynamic new energy market..."

"...The market is a great motivator, for good and ill. It motivates some to work hard and invent new products that serve important purposes or enhance our quality of life. It motivates others to dump toxic wastes in the nearest stream rather than dispose of them properly. If we're to get an energy market that meets our long-term economic, environmental, and security needs, our government needs to set high standards for accountability and create incentives for responsible corporate behavior, without constraining innovation and flexibility. Markets are good for a lot of things, but almost never in isolation from other sources of wisdom and direction..."

"...America's energy choices are among the most critical we must make, because they affect so many aspects of our lives. They're central to the American and global economies, to national and international security, and to the health of the planet's environment. Our energy choices will determine much about the world that our children and grandchildren inherit from us. There's a lot at stake in getting our energy choices right. Those choices are too important and their effects are too lasting to be left in the hands of corporations..."