Google, Gore’s firm call for ‘green bank’ in jobs bill

By Ben Geman - 01/22/10 11:30 AM ET

The push for adding energy provisions to the jobs bill continues.

A number of green technology investors and companies on Thursday called for inclusion of a so-called green bank in planned legislation aimed at stemming high unemployment.

Google Inc., the big venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers – which counts Al Gore among its partners – and others wrote to President Obama touting the “Clean Energy Deployment Administration.” The letter also went to House and Senate leaders from both parties.

The plan would create a new federal corporation that provides loans and other support for low-emissions energy projects and technologies.

Versions of the green bank are part of the big climate bill the House approved in June and a bipartisan energy bill the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed around the same time.

But with the fate of climate and energy legislation highly uncertain, various lawmakers and lobbyists want some provisions to migrate to the jobs bill. The effort comes at a time when Democrats nervous about the mid-term elections are making the economy their main focus.

The letter says including the green bank in the jobs bill would spur new employment fast and more broadly position the U.S. as a leader in “clean energy” technologies.

“We believe the availability of CEDA financing will help America’s emerging clean energy technology companies cross the so-called ‘valley of death’ between the invention of a technology and its commercial deployment, and thus substantially accelerate and increase private sector investment necessary to position the U.S. as the global clean energy leader,” states the letter also backed by other venture firms, the National Venture Capital Association, GE Energy Financial Services and others.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who is a member of the House Democratic leadership, last week called for including the green bank in the jobs bill in his own letter to Obama.

The letter from the venture capitalists yesterday drew applause from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.).

“If enacted today, CEDA can create countless new jobs this year in new companies across the country by helping breakthrough clean energy technologies get introduced into U.S. markets and expanded as quickly as possible,” Bingaman said in a statement.

The green bank in the Senate bill differs from the House plan in several ways. The Senate version makes the bank an autonomous entity within the Energy Department, while the House plan creates a separate, stand-alone federal corporation.

Update: The letter from the venture capitalists is partial to the Senate's green bank provision. Here's the entire letter:

January 21, 2010

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As entrepreneurs, investors and industry stakeholders active in the transition to a low-carbon energy economy, we urge you to work with Congressional leaders to craft a jobs package that includes the immediate creation of a Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA). We believe CEDA’s swift enactment will both spur the creation of jobs in 2010, and position the U.S. as the global leader in the development and deployment of clean energy technologies for years to come.

Last year, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee adopted bipartisan legislation to create CEDA, as Title I of the American Clean Energy Leadership Act. The pending Senate proposal would establish and fund CEDA to provide various types of flexible credit support for the development and deployment of clean energy technologies throughout the economy. CEDA would be affiliated with the Department of Energy, but have largely independent operations including its own Senate-confirmed Administrator and Board of Directors.

A critical feature of CEDA, as created in the Senate bill, is its focus on innovative technologies. We believe the availability of CEDA financing will help America’s emerging clean energy technology companies cross the so-called “valley of death” between the invention of a technology and its commercial deployment, and thus substantially accelerate and increase private sector investment necessary to position the U.S. as the global clean energy leader. In short, CEDA will help finance the scale-up of precisely the kinds of innovative technologies that will create new, 21st Century American jobs and position the U.S. to capture the economic benefits of the global transition to low-carbon energy infrastructure.

We would be pleased to discuss this matter with Administration officials. Thank you for your consideration -- and your leadership in the emerging clean energy economy.

Sincerely,

Neil Z. Auerbach
Managing Partner
Hudson Clean Energy Partners

John Denniston
Partner
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Josh Green
General Partner MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures

 Mark G. Heesen
President
National Venture Capital Association

Paul Holland
Partner
Foundation Capital

Ralph Izzo
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated

Elon Musk
Chairman and CEO
Tesla Motors, Inc.

Kevin Walsh
Managing Director
GE Energy Financial Services

Andrew Perlman
President and Chief Executive Officer
GreatPoint Energy, Inc.

Arati Prabhakar
General Partner
U.S. Venture Partners

Ray Ramsey
President
TechNet

Dan Reicher  Director  Climate Change and Energy Initiatives  Google Inc.
  

Alan E. Salzman CEO VantagePoint Venture Partners

Cc: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
        The Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader
        The Honorable John Boehner, House Republican Leader
        The Honorable Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican Leader
        The Honorable Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader
        The Honorable Dick Durbin, Senate Majority Whip
        The Honorable Eric Cantor, House Republican Whip
      The Honorable John Kyl, Senate Republican Whip

This post was updated at 1:23 p.m.