Polluters Believe This May Be the Best Year for Climate Legislation
Representatives of the coal, oil, and gas lobby met yesterday at the United States Energy Association’s “State of the Energy Industry” conference at the National Press Club in Washington. They agreed that Lieberman-Warner may be the best legislation they can hope for, especially if issues like polar bear habitat set the standard for legislation.
Katherine Ling reports for E&E Daily that David Parker, president and CEO of the American Gas Association, said “Who would you rather have writing a bill in the Senate? I might guess it may set a tone for business to fully work with the Senate this year.” He continued that “the polar bear habitat is going to really drive this [climate change] debate. We all have a big education job to do and I think we need to do it collectively.”
Bill Scher has further commentary at Blog for Our Future.
While most panelists agreed it was not likely that a full bill capping greenhouse gas emissions would pass this session, they said a great deal could be accomplished in laying the groundwork this year.Tom Kuhn, president and CEO of Edison Electric Institute, predicted there will be a floor vote in the Senate this year on a climate bill. “No matter what happens on those votes, that will set the marker for what we do in the future,” he said, especially if there is White House involvement.
David Parker, president and CEO of the American Gas Association, agreed with Kuhn. Despite a general disagreement the energy industries have with the climate bill sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.), he said, future legislation could be even harder on the industry.
“Warner is retiring this year, and then the question is, ‘Who comes into play?’” Parker said. Potentially, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) – who both favor greater emission limits than those in the Lieberman-Warner bill – could lead the next attempt to pass climate change legislation under a Democratic president, he said.
“Who would you rather have writing a bill in the Senate? I might guess it may set a tone for business to fully work with the Senate this year,” he said.
Achieving workable legislation will require educating policymakers and the public a great deal more on energy markets, panelists said.
Parker said he was worried that “the polar bear habitat is going to really drive this [climate change] debate. We all have a big education job to do and I think we need to do it collectively.”
Science and Society Grand Challenges: Meeting global energy demand
The events in the Science and Society: Grand Challenges series will be held every Monday night in November from 6pm to 7:30pm in the AAAS Auditorium at 1200 New York Avenue. A reception will start at 5pm.
November 12th’s discussion will be about “Meeting the Global Energy Demand”
Speakers- John Holdren, Director of the Science, Technology & Public Policy Program at the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government
- Lori Ryerkerk, General Manager of Government Relations at the ExxonMobil Corporation.
The first discussion was on “Climate Change”, and future discussions will be on “Managing a Pandemic” and “Containing the Spread of WMDs” and will feature experts from the White House, and the Center for American Progress.
RSVP.
The efficacy of the domestic energy industry, focusing on its available workforce to meet our nation's growing needs
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on whether domestic energy industry will have the available workforce – crafts and professional – to meet our nation’s growing energy needs and if gaps exist, what policies the Congress should take to address these gaps.
Panel 1- Ms. Emily DeRocco, Department of Labor
- Ms. Patricia Hoffman, Department of Energy
- Ms. Andra Cornelius, Workforce Florida
- Mr. Norm Szydlowski, Colonial Pipeline
- Mr. Paul Bowers, Southern Company
- Dr. Ray Stults, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Ms. Carol Berrigan, Nuclear Energy Institute
- Mr. Jim Hunter, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States (House briefing)
On Thursday, October 18, 2007, the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) will hold a House briefing on the release of the third in a series of 21 reports to advance climate science research. Coordinated by the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), this Synthesis and Assessment Product report, numbered 4.5 and titled “Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States,” summarizes what is known about potential effects of climate change on energy production and use in the United States.
- Dr. William J. Brennan, Acting Director of the Climate Change Science Program
- Dr. Jeffrey S. Amthor, DOE Office of Science, Coordinator of CCSP Report 4.5
- Dr. Thomas J. Wilbanks, CCSP 4.5 Report Lead Author, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States (Senate briefing)
On Thursday, October 18, 2007, the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) will hold a Senate briefing on the release of the third in a series of 21 reports to advance climate science research. Coordinated by the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), this Synthesis and Assessment Product report, numbered 4.5 and titled “Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States,” summarizes what is known about potential effects of climate change on energy production and use in the United States.
- Dr. William J. Brennan, Acting Director of the Climate Change Science Program
- Dr. Jeffrey S. Amthor, DOE Office of Science, Coordinator of CCSP Report 4.5
- Dr. Thomas J. Wilbanks, CCSP 4.5 Report Lead Author, Oak Ridge National Laboratory