---
title: "Energy Innovation is Not a Partisan Issue"
summary: |-
  Ohio Governor John Kasich’s recent comments help illustrate a key ITIF point.
date: "2012-04-11"
issues: ["Clean Energy Innovation"]
authors: ["Clifton Yin"]
content_type: "Blogs"
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/publications/2012/04/11/energy-innovation-not-partisan-issue/"
---

# Energy Innovation is Not a Partisan Issue

![Featured Image](https://s3.amazonaws.com/assetsarchive.itif.org/innovationfiles/uploads/2012/04/428px-Governor_John_Kasich-e1334247518213.jpg)

“I believe there is a problem with climates, climate change in the atmosphere… and so, at the end of the day, if we can find these breakthroughs to help us have a cleaner environment, I’m all for it,” Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican, [said](http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/04/10/kasich-speaks-of-climate-change.html) to a group of donors last week.

Two important highlights here. First of all, it’s a pleasure to see a policy leader call out the [need to address climate change](../the-future-of-global-climate-policy-taking-stock-of-our-climate-outlook-part-1/) at a time when [some activists](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-04/alternate-energy-group-to-avoid-clean-green-in-campaigns.html) are even reluctant to publicly use so-called catch phrases like “clean energy” for fear of being politically polarizing. Secondly, Gov. Kasich is just the latest to articulate a point that ITIF has been making for years: clean energy innovation – and innovation policy in general – should not be a partisan issue. He joins the diverse ranks of a coalition that includes the like of technologist [Nathan Myrhvold](../myhrvold-we-need-to-invent-new-energy-technologies/), economist [Robert Solow](../let%E2%80%99s-shelve-the-drivel-boosting-energy-innovation-to-reduce-america%E2%80%99s-three-deficits/), and business leader [Bill Gates](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63408.html), among others.

Energy innovation is crucial to not only [aggressively mitigating climate change](../a-note-to-joe-romm-and-tom-friedman-sorry-we-need-an-rdd-rdd-deploy-rdd-rdd-deploy-clean-energy-strategy/), but also [ensuring](http://itif.org/publications/global-innovation-policy-index) the United States’ long-term competitiveness. Surely the importance of the latter issue bridges the partisan divide. Furthermore, popular support certainly exists for energy innovation, with a recent [Pew poll](http://www.people-press.org/2012/03/19/as-gas-prices-pinch-support-for-oil-and-gas-production-grows/) indicating majority support across party lines for “more federal funding for research on wind, solar, and hydrogen technology” – a key aspect of a [comprehensive national energy innovation agenda](../the-future-of-global-climate-policy-clean-energy-innovation-imperative-part-3/).

And it’s no wonder this popular support exists: Government involvement in fostering breakthrough technologies is a hallowed American tradition. As recent reports by the [Breakthrough Institute](http://thebreakthrough.org/blog/2010/12/american_innovation.shtml) and [ITIF](http://itif.org/publications/lean-mean-and-clean-energy-innovation-and-department-defense) have shown, government support in partnership with the private sector has been critical to developing everything from nuclear power to rocketry and the Internet and yes, [even to natural gas fracking](../natural-gas-is-a-climate-non-starter-still-an-energy-innovation-policy-model/). The path to developing clean energy innovations is no different and whether the government should play a role simply should not be a matter of political debate. The real question is how best to do it.

---
*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/publications/2012/04/11/energy-innovation-not-partisan-issue/*