The APP: A Multi-Agency Effort

U.S. government efforts under the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate are led by the Department of State and involve the collective efforts of the following major agencies and departments of the federal government:

U.S. Department of State (DOS) is the lead U.S. agency and, as current host of the Administrative Support Group, coordinates and administers Partnership activities both domestically and internationally. To ensure that the APP fully capitalizes on clean development and market transformation opportunities, the DOS has created a U.S. APP Program Office.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implements development assistance programs that provide technical assistance and expertise to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to address the causes and effects of climate change. USAID plays a leading role in the implementation of APP initiatives which are enhanced by the strong, long-standing relationships between USAID field Missions, counterpart government agencies and the private sector. In the area of clean energy, USAID supports programs that reduce growth in GHG emissions, promotes policy and economic reform of energy sectors to create markets that support private sector investment, and provides technical support to leverage investment in clean technology and energy efficiency/rehabilitation projects by multi-lateral development banks and the private sector. USAID places particular emphasis on public-private partnerships and leverages its APP resources with those of USAID and its private sector partners.

U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has played a leading role in the initiative since its inception by chairing the U.S. delegations to the Aluminum Task Force and the Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Task Force. DOC has also staged three clean energy and environment trade missions to China and India under the auspices of the APP and organized three reverse trade missions that brought policymakers as well as potential buyers and partners from India and China to view world-class U.S. technologies. To date, DOC efforts have resulted in over $100 million in export opportunities. The agency provides expertise on identifying and overcoming trade barriers to clean energy and energy efficiency technologies and identifies opportunities for U.S. companies to capitalize on clean energy opportunities.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides leadership and technical support to achieve the broad range of APP goals and objectives, including: to build capacity and accelerate development and deployment of cleaner, more efficient fossil energy and renewable energy technologies and practices; to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of power generation, distribution, and end use; to facilitate technologies and practices to improve the economics and efficiencies of coal utilization for power generation; and to reduce primary energy use for industry, buildings and appliances. DOE provides leadership and advice, but not funding for private sector-led efforts to reduce the cost of and the fugitive emissions from the processing, handling, and transportation of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) manages land and water that produces nearly 30% of the Nation’s energy supply. Approximately one-third of the coal, natural gas, and oil, one-half of the geothermal, 17% of the hydropower and 8% of the wind power are produced in areas managed by Interior. DOI is the nation's principal conservation agency, managing 500 million acres of surface land, or about one-fifth of the land in the United States. DOI has played a leading role in the APP by chairing the Coal Mining Task Force.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working with other U.S. agencies to support five of the eight technical task forces under the APP (buildings and appliances, cement, aluminum, coal mining, and renewable energy). In each case, EPA is building on its domestic public-private partnerships -- such as the ENERGY STAR, domestic methane, and high-GWP gas programs -- and is sharing its expertise internationally. The depth of EPA's experience through these long-standing partnerships with the private sector is an essential contribution to the effective work of the Partnership.

U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries, and has increasingly targeted the clean energy and environmental priorities of the APP. USTDA funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair, open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. USTDA funds often leverage additional funds from U.S. private sector entities and host country project sponsors, achieving a larger budget impact and important “buy-in” from project collaborators.