U.S., Canada, Mexico Vow ‘Continental’ Energy Grid

A holistic, renewable electricity system would generate millions of good jobs

WASHINGTON, DC (ENS) – The leaders of the United States, Mexico, and Canada today pledged to develop “continental energy, including electricity generation and interconnection” across national borders and welcomed “increasing North American energy trade.”

Meeting in Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama, Canada’s President Stephen Harper and Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon committed their governments to enhance their collective energy security, to facilitate “seamless energy flows on the interconnected grid” and to promote trade and investment in clean energy technologies.

They will cooperate in expanding cooperation “to create clean energy jobs and combat climate change,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

“Enhanced electricity interconnection in the Americas would advance the goals of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas to reduce energy poverty and increase the use of renewable sources of energy,” the three leaders said.

They recognized Mexico’s leadership in supporting inter-connections in Central America and reaffirmed their support “to bring affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable power to businesses and homes in Central America and the Caribbean while opening wider markets for clean energy and green technology.”

During a joint news conference this afternoon, President Obama said, “Between us, we represent nearly half-a-billion citizens, from Nunavut in the Canadian north to Chiapas in southern Mexico. In between, the diversity of our peoples and cultures is extraordinary. But wherever they live, they wake up every day with similar hopes – to provide for their families, to be safe in their communities, to give their children a better life. And in each of our countries, the daily lives of our citizens are shaped profoundly by what happens in the other two. And that’s why we’re here.”

“Energy cooperation reduces the cost of doing business and enhances economic competitiveness in North America,” the three leaders said. “We recognize the growing regional and federal cooperation in the area of continental energy, including electricity generation and interconnection and welcome increasing North American energy trade.”

On climate change, Obama, Harper and Calderon pledged to advance “a lasting global solution.”

“We are pleased with the outcome of the climate conference in Durban, with respect to both operationalizing the Cancun agreements and laying the groundwork for a new legal agreement applicable to all Parties from 2020,” they said, referring to the annual UN climate conference held last December in Durban, South Africa.

They stated their support for activation of the multi-billion dollar Green Climate Fund to help developing countries cope with the warming climate, and underlined the importance of climate finance and investment for “meaningful mitigation” of climate change impacts.

The leaders said they plan to work together, including through the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, to secure a successful outcome at the upcoming UN climate summit in Doha, Qatar at the end of this year.

“We continue to advance the transition to a clean energy economy and cooperate to reduce global rates of deforestation and land degradation,” they said.  Continue reading more…