Hill Heat

This event will feature presentations by leading thinkers on energy policy from the U.S. government (state and federal), universities, and the private sector, as well as international perspectives. It will take place in the main auditorium of the National Academy of Sciences building at 2100 C Street, NW, in Washington DC. This event will serve to develop information for the Academies’ ongoing study, America’s Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks and Tradeoffs, and to stimulate discussion among leading thinkers with diverse points of view on energy issues as the 2008 U.S. elections approach.

The Summit will include presentations addressing three major energy themes: Energy Security; Energy and the Economy; and Energy and the Environment. During the sessions, the analyses and results of key recent energy studies will be presented by principals from:

• Council on Foreign Relations
• Electric Power Research Institute
• InterAcademy Council
• International Energy Agency
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• McKinsey Global Institute
• National Commission on Energy Policy
• National Petroleum Council
• National Research Council
• Rocky Mountain Institute
• U.S. Climate Change Science and Technology Program
• U.S. Department of Energy

In each session, there will also be time provided for participants to ask questions to a roundtable of speakers. The preliminary agenda will be posted by mid-January. This event is expected to be very full – please register early (free) if you’d like to attend. If you have any questions, please contact us at energysummit at nas.edu.

A media conference call to discuss the findings of a study jointly commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) that quantifies the potential national and state economic impacts of the Lieberman-Warner climate change bill, S. 2191, the America’s Climate Security Act of 2007.

Conducted by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the independent study examines the implications of the legislation with respect to future energy costs, economic growth, employment, production, household income and the impact on low income earners. The study includes a comprehensive national economic assessment, as well as separate and specific overviews of the impact the legislation would have on all 50 U.S. states.

The results of the study will be outlined during a brief presentation which will be followed by a question and answer session. The full SAIC national and 50 state-specific studies will be posted online at 9:30 am ET, Thursday, March 13, in advance and can be found at either www.accf.org or www.nam.org/climatechangereport.

The call is for credentialed media only.

• The Honorable John Engler, President, National Association of Manufacturers
• Dr. Margo Thorning, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, American Council for Capital Formation

This hearing will explore the degree to which nuclear power could provide a solution for addressing climate change.

The contemplated future role of nuclear power in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions will clearly require a monumental capital investment, many years if not decades of planning and construction, extensive international coordination, and substantial assumption of risk by the general public and by investors. This hearing will examine the feasibility of achieving such a nuclear expansion, the costs and benefits of this nuclear path, and whether nuclear power can play a leading role in solving the climate challenge.

Wtinesses

• Amory Lovins, Cofounder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute
• Sharon Squassoni, Senior Associate in the Nonproliferation Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• David Lochbaum, Director of the Nuclear Safety Project for the Union of Concerned Scientists

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, will be joined by the heads of America’s leading environmental organizations to discuss the need for action to address the challenge of global warming.

Participants

• Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman, Environment and Public Works Committee
• Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
• Gene Karpinski, President, League of Conservation Voters
• Kevin Knobloch, President, Union of Concerned Scientists

Also participating will be representatives of Environment America, Environmental Defense, Center for International Law, Clean Water Action, National Wildlife Federation, Ocean Conservancy, Pew Environment Group, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and The Wilderness Society.

The Committee will explore the importance of basic research to U.S. competitiveness. The hearing will examine research and development budgets at agencies in the Committee’s jurisdiction, particularly the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as interagency science programs addressing climate change, nanotechnology, and information technology.

Witnesses

• C.H. “Bud” Albright Jr., Under Secretary of Energy
• Alexander Karsner, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• James Slutz, Acting Principal Deputy, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy
• Kevin Kolevar, Director, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability

The Subcommittee will review recommendations from policy experts, the Government Accountability Office and the Inspector General’s office for improving the Federal oil and gas royalty system in light of the recent report to the Minerals Management Service’s Royalty Policy Committee entitled “Mineral Revenue Collection from Federal and Indian Lands and the Outer Continental Shelf.”

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Mr. Earl Devaney, Inspector General, Department of the Interior
• Mr. David Deal, Vice Chair, Royalty Policy Committee, Department of the Interior
• Mr. Frank Rusco, Acting Director, Natural Resources and Environment, General Accounting Office

Panel 2

• Hon. C. Stephen Allred, Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior
• Mr. Randall Luthi, Director, Minerals Management Service
• Mr. Larry Finfer, Deputy Director, Office of Policy Analysis, Department of the Interior
• Ms. Linda Stiff, Acting Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
• Mr. Dennis Roller, Royalty Audit Section Manager, Office of the State Auditor, North Dakota

On March 10, 2008, The Ecological Society of America will host a one-day conference on the Ecological Dimensions of Biofuels. 500 attendees will have the opportunity to hear invited presentations by leading scientists on:

• sustainable development and use of biofuels;
• social, biogeographic, land use, and biodiversity considerations; and,
• ecological dimensions of alternatives for crop selection and production, harvest and transport of product to refinery, and refining of liquid fuels and other co-products.

A keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Jose Goldemberg, Co-President of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) Council and Professor at the Universidade de Sao Paulo. Goldemberg recently served as Secretary for the Environment of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was a lead author of the World Energy Assessment.

The conference will conclude with an evening social featuring additional poster presentations and opportunities for attendees to network with presenters and others working in this important field.

Full details, including an agenda, confirmed speakers, registration information, and sponsorship opportunities, are available at http://www.esa.org/biofuels.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center