I invite you to join me for the APEC Energy Ministers Conference. This conference, co-hosted by the Department of Energy and the City of San Diego, will focus on the implementation of policies to foster the creation of the energy infrastructure to meet the economic and environmental needs of the 21st Century.

The theme of this Ministerial, Turning Vision Into Reality, will give us the opportunity to consider the challenges of clean and sustainable energy development in the APEC energy sector and to formulate policies that collectively address these challenges on a regional basis. By bringing together energy ministers from throughout the APEC region, private sector representatives, multilateral institutions and non-government organizations, we will have the opportunity to focus on strategies to implement existing policy commitments and to enhance investment in clean and sustainable energy development, on opportunities for regional energy market integration, and on continued transition to a market-oriented business climate as we begin the new millennium.

I look forward to seeing you in San Diego and working with all of you to realize our goals.

Bill Richardson
U.S. Secretary of Energy Home