Statement by CEO of NextEra Energy on President Obama's memorandum regarding regulation and independent regulatory agencies

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Jul 11, 2011, 06:42 ET

JUNO BEACH, Fla., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy Chairman and CEO Lew Hay, a member of President Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, issued the following statement on the memorandum issued today by the President regarding regulation and independent regulatory agencies:

"We applaud the President for taking prompt action on an item flagged by his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in the early course of our work. Improving the environment for job creation will require action on many fronts, and this is a productive step.

"As leaders of American businesses, we experience the pressures of regulation every day. No one disputes the importance of sound regulation, but as a nation, we need to get smarter and sharper in the way we apply regulations.

"Greater focus on cost-benefit analysis, looking at alternative ways of meeting the aims of regulation, and deploying regulatory frameworks that encourage constructive compliance are all important.

"We hope that every independent regulatory agency will adopt the principles of the Executive Order in the constructive spirit in which they are intended."

Hay is a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, which was created to provide non-partisan advice to the President on continuing to strengthen the Nation's economy and ensure the competitiveness of the United States and on ways to create jobs, opportunity, and prosperity for the American people.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company with 2010 revenues of more than $15 billion, nearly 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and approximately 15,000 employees in 28 states and Canada. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which together with its affiliated entities is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and Florida Power & Light Company, which serves approximately 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the country. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy collectively operates the third largest U.S. nuclear power generation fleet. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com, www.FPL.com.

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SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.