Statement by Rhone Resch, President and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association, on the President's Speech from the Oval Office this Evening:

WASHINGTON, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- "This tragic environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is a wake-up call for our nation to develop clean, safe renewable energy sources like solar now.

"President Obama is absolutely right to call for national energy reform and for us to unite behind comprehensive energy legislation that takes our nation in a new direction – away from unsafe and unstable fossil fuels and toward a new clean energy economy with safe, reliable sources like solar. We have an opportunity to produce solar energy to power our buildings and charge our vehicles while putting America back to work here at home.

"The solar industry is poised to rebuild our nation's manufacturing base, create hundreds of thousands of jobs in all 50 states, spur economic growth, and strengthen our national security and energy independence. But to do this, we need comprehensive energy legislation that effectively rewards and stimulates production of clean energy. It is one of the best policy investments the public can make.

"No doubt we will recover from this terrible accident; but if we don't set ourselves down a new energy path, we will be ignoring our responsibility to the residents of the Gulf Coast and to the nation as a whole."

About SEIA:

Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is the national trade association of solar energy industry. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,000 members to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy.  Learn more at http://www.seia.org.

SEIA President & CEO Rhone Resch is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RhoneResch

SEIA is on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/thesolarindustry) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Solar-Energy-Industries-Association/112495296809)

SOURCE Solar Energy Industries Association