Leaders from U.S., China in Seattle to discuss clean energy

Government and business leaders from the U.S. and China — the world's two biggest energy consumers and greenhouse-gas producers — will meet in Seattle today and Tuesday to discuss ways to cooperate on clean energy.

The U.S. and China account for nearly half of global energy demand.

Technologies exist to improve efficiency, reduce pollution and make better use of renewable resources, but the two countries are not moving ahead quickly enough, members of the U.S.-China Clean Energy Forum say.

The forum was conceived as a platform to encourage the two sides to come together regularly to discuss the issues and explore potential areas for cooperation on conservation, energy technology and alternative fuels.

The group met a year ago in Gig Harbor and had its first working group meetings in Beijing in October.

This time, they will meet at Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue both days to review energy policies in the context of a new U.S. administration and a global economic downturn.

They will also try to translate good intentions into more concrete action.

The goals of the forum are to come up with specific recommendations on ways to increase energy efficiency and promote increased use of renewable energy, said Dennis Bracy, chief executive of the forum.

Ultimately, the aim is to hold a U.S.-China Presidential Summit to remove barriers to cooperation, said Bracy, who is chairman of the Washington State China Relations Council.

Intellectual-property issues are one barrier, companies say.

Yale Wong, chief executive of Seattle-based General Biodiesel, said uncertain rules and regulations and IP protection are key issues for a company like his, which is opening plants to supply fuel in both Washington state and China.

"Laws are constantly changing as China evolves," Wong said. His business hit delays after new regulations made biodiesel a restricted fuel and limited producers to using only nonedible materials for feedstock.

"For the longest time ... the environment was not a concern. They were concerned about putting food on the table," Wong said.

While environmental awareness has come a long way in China, the primary consideration for most people is still economic, and coal remains the cheapest fuel.

"A lot of them agree we want to be green," Wong said, but "what dictates sales is if the price is right."

Participants in the two-day forum include U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, and Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island.

A 30-member delegation from China includes Han Wenke, director general of the Energy Research Institute; Gao Guangsheng, director general of the National Coordination Committee on Climate Change; and Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the U.S.

Before arriving in Seattle, the group spent two days in Silicon Valley, meeting with Applied Materials, Tesla Motors and other companies.

The group also spent a day in Eastern Washington touring the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University's biofuels facility.

The meetings are taking place the same week U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to China and elsewhere in other parts of Asia, making climate change a focus, particularly in the context of China's rapid industrial growth.

Kristi Heim: 206-464-2718 or kheim@seattletimes.com