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John Podesta, Former Chief of Staff to U.S. President Clinton, in Toronto Today, Urged Ontario to Keep Up in the Global Clean Energy Race

Editors Note: A photo for this release will be available via Marketwire on the picture wire of The Canadian Press.

This evening, at an event for Ontario opinion leaders, John Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, former Chief of Staff to U.S. President Clinton and a key figure in the drive for clean energy jobs in the U.S. urged Ontario to build on its leadership in the global clean energy race.

"The global clean energy race is on and forward thinking decision makers recognize it as the way of the future," said Podesta. "Even with tight budgets and questions about the future, this is the time to invest in clean energy. We have the opportunity to create millions of new jobs worldwide, deploy new sources of energy that are clean and domestically produced, and make our economies more efficient, diverse, productive and competitive."

While he stated that the Green Energy Act has established Ontario as a clean energy leader, he cautioned against losing momentum or reversing direction.

"A long-term and important consideration is that the cost of conventional energy is going up, and will keep going up, while the cost of clean energy will continue to fall," he said. "Investing in clean energy today means investing in cheaper, more reliable energy for many years to come."

He applauded Ontario for its Green Energy Act, which has created thousands of jobs, is building a local renewable industry, and addresses the urgency of climate change in the face of competition in the clean energy economy.

"China and the EU are powerhouses in the new clean energy industry, worth 2.3 trillion USD globally by the end of this decade," he continued. "Ontario is well positioned and should capitalize on its lead."

About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (www.environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is Canada's most effective environmental action organization. We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all.

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Photo available for download here: http://environmentaldefence.ca/John-Podesta