Briefings Summary List 2006

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is pleased to provide you with this interactive list of all 24 Congressional briefings that EESI sponsored in 2006. We encourage you to click on the links below to access each briefing's announcement as well as noteworthy handouts and presentations (in adobe pdf) made by key speakers.

EESI's Congressional briefings on science, technology and policy are an excellent way to stay informed on critical energy and environmental issues. Our audiences are drawn from the Congress, government agencies, private sector, media, embassies, academia and public interest groups. We hope you will join us at our briefings in 2007 and welcome your comments.

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy:  FY2007 Budget Review

February 14, 2006

Panel 1

·               Kevin Carroll, Majority Staff Director, House Science Energy Subcommittee

·               Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group

·               Bill Prindle, Deputy Director, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Presentation

*See EESI's DOE Budget Analysis regarding requested funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy

Panel 2

·               Peter Smith, Chairman, National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and President, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

·               Mark Wolfe, Executive Director, National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA)

·               Commissioner Ron Jones, Tennessee Regulatory Authority and Chair, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)

·               Nick Sunday, Chief, Office of Community Services, Ohio Department of Development

·               Robert Scott, Program Manager, WV Office of Economic Opportunity, and East Coast Vice Chair, National Association of State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) Board of Directors

Handouts:
NASEO One-sheet
NASEO 2007 Budget Request
State Energy Office Actions to Prepare for High Winter Energy Costs
Oak Ridge Lab Report:  State/Territory Energy Offices Deliver Energy, Cost Savings
Joint Letter to Congress on Gulf Devastation and Energy Price Escalation
NASCSP's Bob Adams' Talking Points on Rising Fuel Costs
NASCSP Press Release
NASCSP Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Fact Sheet
NASCSP WAP 2004 Funding Survey and Spreadsheet 

Geothermal Energy: Will Federal Support Be Sufficient to Harness Its Vast Potential?
March 2, 2006

• Opening remarks by Mike Freese, Legislative Assistant, Office of Senator Craig (R-ID)   Opening Remarks

• Paul Thomsen, Public Policy Administrator, Ormat Technologies  Presentation

• Dr. Walt Snyder, Director, Intermountain West Geothermal Consortium (IWGC) and Director, Geoscience Research Department of Geosciences, Boise State University   Presentation

• Elizabeth Battocletti, Senior Associate, Bob Lawrence & Associates, Inc.  Presentation

• Karl Gawell, Executive Director, Geothermal Energy Association; member, WGA Geothermal Task Force  Presentation

Geothermal Fact Sheets from the Geothermal Energy Association
                US Geothermal Power Poised to Double ( 3/15/06 )
                US Geothermal Power Production 2006 ( 3/14/06 ) 

Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water

  March 3, 2006

·               Dr. Robert Hirsch, USGS Associate Director for Water

·               Bob Gilliom, Chief, NAWQA Pesticide Synthesis Team

·               Jim Jones, Director, Office of Pesticides of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Download USGS report "Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water 1992-2001"

USGS Fact Sheet                                        

Briefing Talking Points                                             

Press Release 

Dependence on Oil: How Transit Can Help Americans Reduce Energy Consumption
March 8, 2006

• William W. Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association  Speech

• Mariia Zimmerman, Vice President of Policy, Reconnecting America   Presentation

• Winston Harrington, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future  Presentation

Cuts Threaten Distributed Energy Program: Local Solutions for a National Crisis
March 9, 2006

·               John Jimison , U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association Presentation

·               Thomas Rosfjord, UTC Power Presentation

·               Catherine Van Way, Cummins Inc.  Presentation

The Cost Competitiveness of Green Building Design: How Efficient Design Delivers Cost Savings to Businesses and Homes

March 9, 2006

·               Paul Westbrook, Sustainable Development Manager, Texas Instruments Worldwide Construction 

Presentation on TI Sustainable Plant Project

Presentation on Sustainable Home Design

Flexible-Fuel Plug-in Hybrids: Taking Charge to Reduce U.S. Oil Consumption

April 4, 2006

·               Roger Duncan, Deputy General Manager, Austin Energy Presentation

·               Bob Graham, Program Manager, Electric Transportation, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)  Presentation

·               William C. Holmberg, Chair, Biomass Coordinating Council; President, Biorefiner  Presentation

Do Americans Believe Climate Change is Real?  Do They Think the United States Should Do Something About It?

April 20, 2006

• Dr. Whit Ayres, President, Ayres, McHenry & Associates Strategic Opinion Research
  Presentation

• Dr. Clay Ramsay, Research Director, Program on International Policy Attitudes and Center on Policy Attitudes Presentation

• Dr. Thomas Brewer, Associate Professor, Georgetown University , MacDonough School of Business
  Presentation

EESI Climate Change Fact Sheet: Recent Polling on Public Perceptions of Climate Change, April 2005-2006
Speaker Biographies 

The Perfect Power System: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

April 26, 2006

·               Richard Munson, author of From Edison to Enron:  The Business of Power and What It Means for the Future of Electricity

·               Kurt Yeager, Chairman of the World Energy Council’s study on Energy and Climate Change and Past-President of the Electric Power Research Institute Presentation

Volatile Organic Compounds in the Nation’s Ground Water and Drinking-Water Supply Wells

April 28, 2006

·               Robert Hirsch, USGS Associate Director for Water

·               John Zogorski, NAWQA VOC Synthesis Team Leader

Healthy Communities for Young and Old: How Transit and Better Community Design Help the Most Vulnerable Generations

May 1, 2006

·               Dr. Howard Frumkin, Director, National Center for Environmental Health, Center for Disease Control  Presentation 
(Please note that Dr. Frumkin's presentation does not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.  Photos used in his presentation are for illustrative purposes only)

·               Richard Gilbert, Director of Research, Centre for Sustainable Transportation, Toronto , Canada   Presentation
View report - Child and Youth Friendly Land-Use and Transport Guidelines

·               Kathryn Lawler, Director, Aging Atlanta, Atlanta Regional Commission  Presentation
View AARP report -  Beyond 50.05 A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful Aging

Biomass: Addressing Our Energy Crisis - How Public-Private Partnerships Can Help
May 22, 2006

• Ed Gray – PE, Principal, Antares Group  Presentation

• Tom Stickle – Owner, Monona Farms and Director, Switchgrass for Bioenergy Project (on Conservation Reserve Program land)  Presentation

• Kathy Bryan – Vice President, BBI International Presentation

• Drew Bolin – Director, Colorado State Energy Office  Presentation

• Jay Jenson – Executive Director, Council of Western State Foresters  

• Larry Shirley – Director, North Carolina State Energy Office  Presentation

Read the Western Governors' Association's (WGA) Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative

Read the Multi-Governor Letter to Appropriators on National Biomass Partnership: Senate & House

How Changes in the Arctic are Affecting the Rest of the World

June 15, 2006

I.  Transformation in the Arctic , Impacts Beyond the Arctic

• Knut Vollebaek, Norwegian Ambassador to the United States

• Jonas Gahr Stoere, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs   Statement (html)

• Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Chair, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs   Statement (html)

II. The Arctic as a Bellwether for Climate Change

• Dr. Robert Corell, Chair, ACIA, and Senior Policy Fellow, Policy Program of the American Meteorological Society  Presentation (pdf format, 2.7 MB)

• Dr. Louis Fortier, Canada Research Chair on the Response of Arctic Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change and Professor, Université Laval  Presentation (pdf format, 0.4 MB)

• Dr. Katey Walter, Research Program Manager, Prince William Sound Science Center and UA Presidential International Polar Year Fellow, University of Alaska, Fairbanks   Presentation (pdf format, 4.5 MB)

  III. How Climate Change in the Arctic Reinforces Global Climate Change

• Dr. Lonnie Thompson, Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio State University  Presentation (pdf format, 5.1 MB)

• Dr. Judith Curry, Chair, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology  Presentation (pdf format, 1.3 MB)

• Dr. Arni Snorrason, Head, Hydrological Service, National Energy Authority of Iceland  Presentation (pdf format, 1.3 MB)

IV. Costs of Climate Change to the United States

• Dr. Gary Yohe, Professor of Economics, Wesleyan University    Presentation (pdf format, 2.4 MB)

• Tim Wagner, Director, Nebraska Department of Insurance and Chair, National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Risk Retention Working Group  Statement (html)

• Chris Walker, Managing Director, Environmental/Greenhouse Gas Solutions, Swiss Re  Presentation (pdf format, 1.5 MB)

V. Luncheon Keynote Speaker - Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chair, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

     Keynote Address: THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE (html)

This symposium is a follow-up to the very successful transatlantic symposium the Royal Norwegian Embassy held in cooperation with EESI and Sen. McCain last June, "Meeting the Climate Challenge in the Arctic Region."

The 9th Annual Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Expo and Forum

June 20, 2006

Press Release - June 23, 2006
RenewableEnergyAccess.com Article

Panel 1:  "Achieving True Energy Supply Security With Sustainable Resources"

Chair:  Karl Gawell, Executive Director, Geothermal Energy Association
        Panelists:
        Rich Halvey, Program Manager, Western Governors' Association  Presentation
        Sarah Verville, Vice President, National Hydropower Association (hydropower) Presentation
        Scott Trainum, Past Chairman, Adkins Energy (ethanol)  Presentation
        Dr. Stephen B. Brandt, Director of Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (biodiesel) Presentation

Panel 2:  "Improving the Economy and Solving the Energy Crisis through Sustainable Resources"

Chair: Carol Werner, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute
        Panelists:
        Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Chair, House Science Energy Subcommittee
        Jonathan Weisgall, Vice President, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (geothermal and wind)  Presentation
        Chris O’Brien, Vice President for Strategy & Government Relations, Sharp Solar Systems             Presentation   
        Kevin Rackstraw, Development Leader, Clipper WindPower Inc.  Presentation

Panel 3:  "Increasing Energy While Decreasing Greenhouse Gas Emissions -The Unique Role of Efficient, Sustainable Technologies"

             Chair: Phil Sharp, President, Resources for the Future 
               Panelists:
                 Tom Casten, President & CEO, Primary Energy  Presentation
                 Dr. Michael MacCracken, President, International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric

                  Sciences; and Chief Scientist for Climate Change, Climate Institute  Presentation

Cleaning Up School Bus Emissions: Will FY ‘07 Appropriations Meet the Challenge?

June 22, 2006

• Brian Mormino, Majority Staff Director, Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change and Nuclear Safety, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

• L. Bruce Hill, Senior Scientist, Clean Air Task Force  Presentation

• Pat Quinn, Principal of the Accord Group, on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists  Presentation

• Timothy Regan, Senior Vice President, Corning Incorporated  Presentation

• Gabe Rozsa, representing National School Transportation Association

• Dan Utech, Legislative Assistant, Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY)

High-Performance Green Buildings: A Look at Their Benefits and the Role of Federal Policy

July 20, 2006

·                Robert F. Fox, Jr., AIA – Partner, Cook + Fox Architects LLP (U.S. Green Building Council member), designer of the new Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, New York City

·                Helen English – Executive Director, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC)

·                Claire Barnett – Executive Director, Healthy Schools Network and Coordinator, Coalition for Healthier Schools

6th Annual Congressional Fuel Cell Expo, Fuel Cells: Powering the Present…Securing the Future

July 20, 2006

Organized by the U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC), in cooperation with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI).

Special guests:

·                Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE)

·                Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN)

·                Hon. David Garman, Under Secretary of Energy, Department of Energy

UK Energy Policy: Addressing the Challenges

July 24, 2006

·                Dr. Christian Turner, First Secretary for Energy and Environment, British Embassy Presentation
 The Energy Challenge: Energy Review Report 2006

What Would the Elimination of the Conservation Reserve Program Do to Federal Spending and Commodity Prices?

September 7, 2006

·                 Professor Daryll E. Ray, Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy, and Director of the Agriculture Policy Analysis Center (APAC), University of Tennessee   Presentation

                      Report "Analysis of the Economic Impacts on the Agricultural Sector of the Elimination of the Conservation Reserve Program”

Understanding the Energy-Water-Climate Nexus: Implications for Policy

September 13, 2006

·         Nate Gentry, Professional Staff Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

·         Dr. Allan Hoffman, Senior Analyst, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy , U.S. Department of Energy    Presentation

·         John Gasper, Strategic Area Manager, Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, Argonne National Laboratory    Presentation

·         Dr. Peter Gleick, President and co-founder, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security    Presentation

Cellulosic Ethanol Technology: Is it Ready To Be Commercially Deployed Today?

September 22, 2006

·         Maurice Hladik- Director of Marketing, Iogen Corp. Presentation

·          John Doyle – Vice President, Operations, Celunol, Corp Presentation

·         Arnold R. Klann – Chairman, President, CEO, BlueFire Ethanol, Inc Presentation

·         Thomas Murray – Managing Director and Co-Head, Loan & Debt Capital Markets, WestLB Securities, Inc

Clean Energy, a Strong Economy and a Healthy Environment: Western Governors Take Action

September 27, 2006

·        Dr. Douglas Arent, Principal Analyst, Energy Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and member, Quantitative Working Group, Western Governors’ Association Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee    Presentation

            ·       William Keese, Co-chair, Western Governors’ Association Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory

                   Committee, and former Chairman of the California

                   Energy Commission   Presentation 

Small Business Takes Active Role in Supporting California’s Global Warming Legislation, AB 32: Signals National Implications

November 1, 2006

• Byron Kennard, Executive Director, Center for Small Business and the Environment

• Scott Hauge, Founder and President, Small Business California

• Hank Ryan, Executive Director, Small Business California   

Listen to audio of the briefing and Q&A session

Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change

November 13, 2006

• Julian Braithwaite, Counselor for Global Issues, British Embassy 

• David Thomas, 1st Secretary, Energy and Environment, British Embassy 

• Lauren Faber, Environment Advisor, British Embassy

View their joint presentation and  Listen to the briefing and Q&A

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Discussing Climate Change: A Multi-faceted View of the Climate Stewardship Act

The Threat of Abrupt Climate Change

Climate Change Post-2100:  What are the Implications of Continued Greenhouse Gas Buildup?

State and Local Governments are Taking the Leadership on Addressing Climate Change
Perspectives on Climate Change: Business Initiatives to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

What Does Climate Change Mean for the Arctic ?  How is Alaska Being Affected?

Agriculture and Climate Change:  Threats and Opportunities 

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