Hill Heat

• Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
• Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)
• Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Chair, Congressional Black Caucus [tentative]
• Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA), Chair, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
• Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA)
• Nia Robinson, Director, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative

African Americans will endure worse consequences as a result of global warming than any other ethnic group, while climate policies that reduce these harms will be beneficial to all ethnicities and income groups in the U.S.

These findings, from a new report by the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative and Redefining Progress, will be discussed at Thursday’s briefing. The findings are the result of in-depth analysis of the effects of rising temperatures, greater pollution levels, and host of other harms from global warming. Please join us as we discuss the effects of global warming on African Americans and the climate polices that best address these inequalities.

• Kathy Fredriksen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy
• Didier Houssin, Director of the Office of Oil Markets and Emergency Preparedness, International Energy Agency
• Dr. David Victor, Director of the Program of Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford University
• John Shages, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Petroleum Reserves, U.S. Department of Energy

A new U.S. EPA proposal that would govern the underground injection of carbon dioxide by power plants and other industrial pollution sources will be the subject of a House Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee hearing Thursday.

EPA’s proposed rule is aimed at protecting drinking water sources during and after the geologic sequestration process. In carbon capture and sequestration, CO2 is captured from fossil-fuel power plants, industrial facilities or other sources and then compressed. At the sequestration site, CO2 is injected into deep subsurface rock formations via one or more wells.

Legislators have said they look forward to discussing EPA’s proposed amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, which would create a new category of injection well under the agency’s existing Underground Injection Control Program and establish new permitting requirements for CO2 injection.

The requirements address well location, construction, testing, monitoring and closure. The goal is to prevent CO2 from migrating into underground water supplies. If the gas infiltrates drinking water, it could push other substances that occur underground naturally, like salt, into the drinking water source.

Talk at the hearing will focus on the proposal and potential environmental effects of carbon sequestration.

This will be the first subcommittee hearing under new Chairman Gene Green (D-Texas), who took over for former Rep. Al Wynn (D-Md.).

“A cap-and-trade program to address climate change could lead to the underground injection of carbon dioxide on a massive scale,” Green said last week. “Congress has to make sure the EPA’s carbon sequestration rules protect our sources of drinking water from contamination.”

Ranking member John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) also said he is interested in hearing more about the environmental impacts of carbon sequestration, as well as whether the process is economically viable. “Action should not be taken until we have gathered all the facts and have a complete sense of the issue and its consequences,” Shadegg said.

Stakeholders say Congress also will need to address liability issues surrounding carbon sequestration. Presently, it is unclear who has long-term responsibility for leaks and migration. It also will be important for Congress to address issues of ownership over land where carbon sequestration takes place.

• John Paul Woodley Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
• Brigadier General Michael J. Walsh, Commanding General, U.S. Army Engineer Division, Mississippi Valley

The past three presidents, including President George W. Bush, have successfully used the SPR to reduce oil prices during times of crisis.

• C. Kyle Simpson, Policy Director, Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck
• Dr. Joe Romm, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
• James May, President and CEO, Air Transport Association of America (invited)

• Jason Burnett, Former Associate Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Dr. Kevin E. Trenberth, Head of the Climate Analysis Section, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Climate and Global Dynamics Division
• Dr. Roy Spencer, Principal Research Scientist, Earth System Science Center, University of Alabama in Huntsville

• T. Boone Pickens , Founder and Principal , BP Capital, L.P.

• Gal Luft, Ph.D. , Executive Director , Institute for the Analysis of Global Security
• Geoffrey Anderson , President and Chief Executive Officer , Smart Growth America
• Habib Dagher, Ph.D. , Director , Advanced Structures and Composites Laboratory, University of Maine

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony regarding the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of all species within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Specifically, the hearing will address: (1) How much has been learned up to this point and at what cost? (2) What is left to be done and what is the estimated time and cost to complete the inventory? (3) How has the data been used and are there other ways to use it? (4) What changes, if any, should be made in the program and (5) Should the program be expanded to include other National Parks?

The Optical Society (OSA) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invite you to a briefing to learn how solar energy can play a far greater role in meeting energy needs here in the United States and abroad. Solar power is produced through two main technologies: photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, and concentrating solar power (CSP), a utility-scale technology that can be combined with thermal storage to provide electricity even when the sun is not shining.

The United States has the potential to greatly expand the use of this clean and abundant source of energy, while also creating jobs and strengthening energy security. Demonstrating this potential is Germany, whose policies have allowed it to become the world leader in solar energy production in spite of relatively low solar resources (comparable to Alaska’s).

The following experts will discuss current and future technologies, U.S. investments in solar R&D by industry and government, and specific policies that can spur future development and promote the widespread use of solar energy:

• Doug Hall, Technology Director, Glass for Photovoltaic Program, Corning Inc.
• Chuck Kutscher, Principal Engineer and Manager, Buildings & Thermal Systems Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Scott Clavenna, President & CEO, Greentech Media, Inc.
• Fred Sissine, Specialist in Energy Policy, Congressional Research Service
• Rhone Resch, President, Solar Energy Industries Association
• Carol Werner, EESI and Alex Fong, Optronic Laboratories, Inc., Moderators

This briefing is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to Angela Stark at astark@osa.org or 202.416.1443.

OSA is a scientific professional society uniting more than 70,000 professionals from 134 countries, including Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, and other scientists, engineers, educators, and manufacturers engaged in the science of light, including solar manufacturing and R&D.