Oct 17 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Sarah Jane Tribble San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Dozens of Silicon Valley executives and politicians signed a letter Monday demanding that federal lawmakers lessen the nation's dependence on oil, ensure more flex-fuel vehicles are sold and use electricity for transportation.

"We worry about this (energy) crisis we're in, the state of the economy, the stability of our business and the welfare of our employees," said Sass Somekh, president of Novellus Systems, which sponsored the letter. "One of the things we're trying to do is get more action."

Release of the letter came as part of a daylong gathering dubbed a summit on alternative energy. In all, 85 companies and politicians signed the letter, which will be sent to Congress. In addition, executives pledged to help their companies conserve energy by committing to activities like the annual bike-to-work day.

At the end of the day Barry Cinnamon, president of local solar installer Akeena Solar and one of the most prominent solar advocates in the business community, called the gathering a "kind of a come-to-Jesus meeting."

"Everybody realized how big a problem we're going to have with energy and global warming," he said.

And the effort may not be soon forgotten.

The latest report from Clean Edge, a clean-tech analyst firm based in San Francisco, notes that corporations are stoking the growth of renewable energies such as solar, wind and biofuels. Multinationals such as BP, General Electric and Toyota are creating billion-dollar divisions dedicated to solar, wind power, ethanol and hybrid electric vehicles, among other technologies, the report notes.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the keynote speaker Monday, lobbied the executives to support federal initiatives that would cap the amount of carbon produced in the nation and promote energy efficiency. The California Democrat also asked the companies to "prove that becoming a low-carbon economy is good for business and the economy."

During breaks in the meeting, the executives -- who came from more than 200 companies, including Adobe, SanDisk, Juniper Networks and Verisign -- talked on a grand scale about the impact of global warming and on a smaller scale about telecommuting, using hybrids and finding ways to decrease corporate electricity use.

Palm Chief Executive Ed Colligan said his company could reconsider some of the packaging on its products and try to find more ways technology could decrease energy use.

"I think the valley companies are getting more conscious of how their influence will weigh on Washington," Colligan said.

For Synopsys Chairman and Chief Executive Aar de Geus, addressing global warming is a systemic issue that includes climate, energy and security. By the time people notice that the glacier is melting, he said, it's too late to save the part of the glacier that is gone.

Novellus' Somekh hopes Monday's summit is merely a first step in business activism.

"There are traditions for things that start in California and spread all over the country," he said.

 

Contact Sarah Jane Tribble at stribble@mercurynews.com or (408) 278-3499.  To subscribe or visit go to:  www.mercurynews.com