Thank you, Joe, for those kind words. I appreciate the invitation to speak with you this evening about the Department of Energy's role on the international stage. We are reaching out to the world to open up markets, cooperate on science and technology and promote clean development. A global consensus is forming that economic growth is fueled by energy, which must be financed by private capital, which is attracted by policies that promote investment. And more and more, nations agree that development has to be environmentally friendly.
Energy can promote the interests of both the United States and countries the world over.
So can the area of nuclear non-proliferation. And when the Senate failed to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty last month, it was a missed opportunity. Public support for the treaty is vast. The American people know it would help halt the spread of nuclear weapons and improve the safety and security of their families and their country. The treaty deserves a full public hearing, not the rush to judgment it received.