“For the past three months, the Council has been seeking and evaluating near-term actions that can be taken to spur U.S. job growth—the number one policy challenge we face as a nation. Yesterday's progress report shows great promise. If properly implemented, I’m hopeful that its recommendations will lead to the creation of many good, much-needed jobs across different sectors of the economy.

Certainly, the nation’s electric companies will be looking to fill well-paying engineering and line worker jobs as a significant percentage of our workforce prepares to retire.

“In addition, I am particularly pleased to note that the U.S. power sector is ably represented on the White House Jobs and Competitiveness Council by Lew Hay, chairman and CEO of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, and vice-chairman of EEI. As the head of one of the nation’s largest electricity providers, Lew’s experience, business savvy and intellect bring a great deal to the Council’s ongoing endeavors.”