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With buy-in from the state and private industry, the University of Wyoming (UW) School of Energy Resources will move forward with plans to build a major new energy and engineering research complex. The recently enacted 2014-16 biennial budget also includes $8 million in support of UW’s efforts to gain “Tier 1” status for the engineering school, matching funds to establish endowed chairs, and $15 million for a test center to study carbon sequestration.

Now in its 14^th year, SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2014 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Idaho, Kentucky, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

Green jobs have been at the center of a number of controversies in economic development circles over the past decade. Key among these debates is whether or not sufficient job opportunities exist to justify large public investments in green job-training programs. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that, at least at the federal level, a great deal of uncertainty remains about the green job labor market. The report lays out a number of challenges for green jobs initiatives at the Department of Labor, where job placement is only at 55 percent of its target levels. In doing so, the GAO report shows that there is room for improvement in green jobs programs at the federal, state and regional level.

This week, President Obama released details of a climate action blueprint that incorporates preparation for future natural disasters as a major component of the plan. Most of the domestic aspects of the plan are to be implemented by executive order, avoiding the complications of the legislative process. Though much of the blueprint centers on the strengthening of American infrastructure, the improvement of the electrical grid and ambitious renewable energy standards, the plan also includes a few mentions of increased federal support for technology development and commercialization.

Ahead of the president' FY 2014 budget proposal release date (April 10, 2013) and amid federal sequestration, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released two reports that contend duplication, fragmentation and a lack of cooperation between federal agencies may plague federal support for wind energy deployment and entrepreneurial assistance. To address these issues, the GAO reports recommend enhanced collaboration between agencies and consolidation of funding programs. Looming budget cuts and political support could place these reports in the midst of political and public dialogue on government duplication and potentially be used as evidence of federal wasteful spending.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation have announced a five-year $194 million program working with six universities across the country to support the growth of the semiconductor industry. These research centers are:

In an era of tightening fiscal constraints, states have to make tough decisions, establish clear economic development funding priorities and transform their economic development models to take advantage of immediate opportunities and position their state for long-term economic growth. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Washington have released state-specific strategic plans that make those tough decisions by focusing their resources on key science & technology (S&T) areas to address the economic impacts of the Great Recession and position the state for future prosperity. Each strategic plan also calls for state government to engage the private sector to build partnerships that will help reduce costs and increase impacts.

Though innovation and entrepreneurship was notably absent from Wednesday's presidential debate on domestic policy, presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have acknowledged the importance of technological innovation in stimulating the economy and bolstering U.S. competitive capabilities in the global economy. As can be seen in the candidates' statements and party platforms, President Obama supports a publically driven innovation plan that partners with industry to make strategic investments, while Romney tends to emphasize the necessity of corporate tax and regulatory reform in creating a supportive framework in which private sector innovation can thrive.

Motivated by a number of interests, including enhancing economic development for their states, governors are seeking ways to be more energy efficient and build their portfolio of renewables. To help states move forward in these efforts, the National Governors Association (NGA) has released a white paper outlining 10 new ways to address longstanding challenges focused around four approaches: