Statement by CEO of NextEra Energy on President Obama's Executive Order

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Mar 22, 2012, 07:29 ET

JUNO BEACH, Fla., March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc., Chairman and CEO Lew Hay issued the following statement on the "Executive Order on Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects" issued today by President Obama:

"America's infrastructure requires continued investment by the private sector and by many government agencies to enhance our global competitiveness and to ensure greater opportunity for the next generation of American entrepreneurs. Such investments in infrastructure, including clean and efficient power generation, are rightly subject to numerous federal regulations to protect the environment, to enhance the health and safety of the American people, to ensure transparency and accountability, and to serve the public interest. Yet the sum total of these regulations, combined with those of states and other jurisdictions, often delay the completion of needed infrastructure projects, or discourage investment in them in the first place.

"President Obama's Executive Order will help reduce regulatory burdens on private and public infrastructure investment in a thoughtful and transparent manner. By encouraging concurrent reviews, avoiding duplicative requirements, and by expediting early engagement with all potential stakeholders, the President's new Steering Committee has the potential to greatly reduce regulatory uncertainty across the nation.

"Clearly President Obama has listened to America's business leaders, in the electric utility industry and many others, who have long recommended regulatory reform. We look forward to the implementation of today's Executive Order, and hope it will encourage even greater private investment in America's infrastructure."

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company with revenues of more than $15.3 billion, more than 41,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and approximately 15,000 employees in 24 states and Canada as of year-end 2011. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are Florida Power & Light Company, which serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the country, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which together with its affiliated entities is the largest generator in the United States of renewable energy from the wind and sun. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy operates the third largest number of commercial nuclear power units in the United States. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.