Applied Materials Applauds House for Rapidly Moving Forward on Climate Change

Applied Materials, Inc. expressed strong support for the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the American Climate and Energy Security Act (ACES).

“Like the decision to fund a space program and put a man on the moon in the 1960s, this bill could be heralded as a true inflection point: the moment when the U.S. got serious about clean energy. It will certainly be one of the most important bills considered by Congress, given its far reaching impact on the economy and the environment,” said Mike Splinter, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials, the largest solar equipment manufacturer in the world. “The U.S. is stating unequivocally to the world that we want to be leaders when it comes to saving our climate.”

“Speaker Pelosi and Chairmen Henry Waxman and Ed Markey have shown tremendous leadership with their tireless work and leadership to bring this ‘Clean Deal’ legislation to fruition in the House. They have helped to set the United States on a course of transformation to a low carbon economy, which we believe will create enormous economic opportunity in clean energy, including thousands of jobs, and drive an energy innovation revolution potentially bigger than the information and computing age,” Splinter added.

“While the cap and trade component of this bill is critical, the importance of the national standard for renewable energy generation should not be overlooked. It will take years to fully regulate carbon dioxide. In the meantime, this bill provides financing mechanisms that will increase the use of renewable energy immediately, curbing climate change emissions and spurring significant investment in the green economy now. We are greatly encouraged by the House’s vote today and look forward to similar action by the Senate, with a goal to seeing legislation enacted this year.”