Hill Heat

The International Forum on Globalization, The Institute for Policy Studies, and The Project on Economic Transitions will hold a teach-in on September 14-16.

The event will cover various topics including:

• Climate Change
• Peak Oil (The End of the Era of Cheap Energy)
• Global Resource Depletion (And Species Extinction)
• Powering-Down for the Future (Toward an International Movement for Systemic Change: New Economies of Sustainability, Equity, Sufficiency and Peace)

60 SPEAKERS INCLUDING: Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, Michael Klare, Martin Khor, Richard Heinberg, Winona LaDuke, David Korten, John Cavanagh, Jerry Mander, Maude Barlow, Tony Clarke, Wolfgang Sachs, Sara Larrain, Meena Raman, Ross Gelbspan, Q’Orianka Kilcher, Frances Moore-Lappe, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Daphne Wysham, Victor Menotti, Atossa Soltani, David Suzuki, Simon Retallack, Jeremy Leggett, Arjun Makhijani, David Pimentel, John Passacantando, Rob Hopkins, Steve Kretzmann, Antony Froggatt, Randy Hayes, Anne Leonard, Megan Quinn, Thomas Princen and 25 more.

The Teach-In will be held at Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, Washington DC.

Tickets and information are available from: International Forum on Globalization 415-561-7650

09/14/2007 at 12:00AM

Witnesses

Panel 1

• The Honorable Alexander Karsner, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Panel 2

• Kyle Pitsor, Vice President of Government Relations, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
• Mr. Steven Nadel, Executive Director, American Council for an Energy-Efficent Economy

Coverage from Bloomberg:

The world’s three largest lighting companies, long at odds over a way to eliminate inefficient incandescent light bulbs in use for 125 years, now favor Senate legislation (S. 2017) over a House-passed measure [H.R.2751, Sec. 9021 of H.R.3221] some say will outlaw all but the spiral-shaped compact fluorescent bulbs.

Royal Philips Electronics NV in Amsterdam, the world’s largest light-bulb maker, Munich-based Siemens AG and General Electric Co., based in Fairfield, Connecticut, support a bill introduced last week by Senator Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat.

The measure would phase out incandescent light bulbs by 2014 and replace them with light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, halogen bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, and higher efficiency lights. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Bingaman chairs, held a hearing on the plan today.

The House bill would require a further improvement by 2020 in efficiency that industry representatives do not support because they say it would rule out bulbs they are developing to meet the 2014 standard.

“If you tell us that the products we have to spend millions of dollars bringing to market in 2014 will become obsolete in 2020, it’s very difficult for a company to go to their shareholders and say that’s an investment worth making,” said Randy Moorhead, vice president of government affairs for Philips Electronic North America, a division of Royal Philips.

House and Senate aides said today they hoped to reconcile differences in the proposals in negotiations on energy legislation, which currently is bogged down in Congress.

09/12/2007 at 10:00AM

Business meeting to consider

• S.127, to amend the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000 to explain the purpose and provide for the administration of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge,
• S.327 and H.R.359, bills to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement,
• S.868, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,
• S.1051, to authorize National Mall Liberty Fund D.C. to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia at Constitution Gardens previously approved to honor free persons and slaves who fought for independence, liberty, and justice for all during the American Revolution,
• S.1184 and H.R.1021, bills to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System,
• S.1247, to amend the Weir Farm National Historic Site Establishment Act of 1990 to limit the development of any property acquired by the Secretary of the Interior for the development of visitor and administrative facilities for the Weir Farm National Historic Site,
• S.1304, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Arizona National Scenic Trail,
• S.1329, to extend the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission, to provide improved visitor services at the park,
• H.R.807, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the feasibility and suitability of establishing a memorial to the Space Shuttle Columbia in the State of Texasand for its inclusion as a unit of the National Park System, and
• H.R.759, to redesignate the Ellis Island Library on the third floor ofthe Ellis Island Immigration Museum, located on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, as the “Bob Hope Memorial Library”

09/11/2007 at 02:30PM

San Francisco, 11-12 September 2007

As the GHG market transitions from voluntary trading to compliance with state (and surely soon federal) requirements, projections are that the annual global volumes of GHG credits will increase from $21.6m (2006) to reach $60 billion and may eventually top $1 trillion.

This unique meeting will bring together the leading US and International experts together for two days of intense, information rich presentations, debates and networking. Understand how one of the World’s largest future commodity markets will develop and impact upon your business.

Speakers

• Commissioner Jeffrey Byron, California Energy Commission
• Terry Tamminen, Energy & Environmental Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger
• Allen Alley, Deputy Chief of Staff, Governor’s Office, State of Oregon
• Richard Saines, Partner, Baker & McKenzie, USA
• Veronique Bugnion, Managing Director, Point Carbon, USA
• David N. Reschke, Noble Carbon Credits, Canada
• Ian Carter, Policy Coordinator, North America, International Emissions Trading Association IETA, Canada
• Thomas D. Peterson, Executive Director, The Center for Climate Strategies, USA
• Angus Duncan, Oregon Carbon Allocation Task Force, USA
• Doug Scott, Chair, Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group, USA
• Josh Bushinsky, Western Policy Coordinator, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, USA
• Gia Schneider, Vice President, Credit Suisse, USA
• Imtiaz Ahmad, VP, Morgan Stanley, UK
• Blake Schaefer, Director, Global Environmental Finance, Stark Investments
• Roger Williams, VP – Portfolio Development, Blue Source
• Marc Stuart, Co-founder, Director of New Business Development, EcoSecurities
• Barbara McKee, Director CSLF, Chair IEA Working Party on Fossil Fuels & Director of Clean Energy Collaboration, DOE, USA
• George Peridas, Science Fellow, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Arthur Lee, CSLF Stakeholder; Principal Advisor, Global Policy & Strategy, Chevron, U.S.A
• Len Eddy, Managing Director, Agcert International, Canada
• David B. Layzell, President and CEO, BIOCAP Canada Foundation, Canada
• Richard A. Birdsey, Program Manager, Global Change Research, USDA Forest Service
• Doug Wikizer, Chief Environmental Protection and Regulations, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, USA
• Lisa Jacobson, Executive Director, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, USA
• Nathan Clark, Director, Offset Projects/Economist, Chicago Climate Exchange, USA
• Ricardo Bayon, Director, The Ecosystem Marketplace
• Cameron Brooks, VP – Resource Development, Renewable Choice Energy
• Mike Bess, General Manager North America, Europe and Africa, Camco International, UK
• Meg Gottstein, Administrative Law Judge, California Public Utilities Commission
• Ned Helme, President, CCAP, Center for Clean Air Policy, USA
• Frank T. Princiotta, Director of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USA

09/11/2007 at 12:00AM

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to learn about the most recent developments in concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies and how this fits into the energy bills and conference committee coming before the Congress this fall. CSP plants produce electric power by concentrating the sun’s energy into high-temperature to drive conventional steam turbines or engines or directly into electricity via high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells. The recent Western Governors’ Association (WGA) Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative Solar Task Force Report projects that the installation of 4,000 MW of CSP capacity in the United States, primarily in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, would lower the price of CSP to that of fossil fuel generation The resource potential of the southwest is very much larger than 4,000MW

Large, credible, and financially strong developers have entered the market and are reducing the risk associated with CSP projects. For example, Pacific Gas and Electric recently signed a 25-year contract for the output of a 553 MW CSP plant that is to be built in California’s Mohave Desert where 354 MW have been in operation since the 1980s. CSP is ideal for utilities as it is most economical in large (100MWs) sizes, can utilize thermal energy storage to match peak demand periods and offer dispatchability, and, with transmission built up, it can scale up rapidly to meet the Southwest’s growing electricity demand.

CSP is clean, non-polluting, and has no carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. It can serve intermediate and peak load, and provides reliable domestic energy. CSP provides energy diversity and reduces pressure on natural gas demand, thereby lowering natural gas prices and acting as a hedge against electricity price fluctuations. CSP investments pay back in jobs, tax revenue, and gross state product (GSP) increases. CSP electricity costs will reduce over time through economies of scale and advancements in R&D.

Panel

• Dr. Fred Morse, Senior Adviser, US Operations, Abengoa Solar, Inc.
• Kate Maracas, Managing Director, Energy Resources, Inc.
• Barbara Lockwood, P.E., Manager, Renewable Energy, Arizona Public Service Company
• Joshua Bar-Lev, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Bright Source Energy

While CSP holds great promise, technology supporters say federal and state policy measures are needed to help scale up production and lower costs. Long term extension of existing incentives is critical to getting plants built and maintaining the necessary momentum. For serious CSP expansion, utility ownership must be an option, making the current utility exclusion from the investment tax credit (ITC) a barrier to CSP. Section 103 of the House-passed energy bill (HR 3221), extends a 30 percent ITC for solar energy property by eight years, from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2017. It also removes the utility exclusion provision from the ITC, and authorizes $2 billion in new Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS). The Senate-passed version of the energy bill (HR 6) does not contain these tax provisions, although they were part of the Finance package reported by the Senate. As the energy bill goes to conference, policy support is required to realize the benefits of CSP for America. Decisions made by the conference committee on the energy bill could have a major effect on the future of CSP in the United States. It should be noted that other countries are moving forward on large-scale solar technologies.

This briefing is open to the public and no reservations are required.

For more information, contact Fred Beck at 202-662-1892 ([email protected])

09/06/2007 at 10:00AM

As Congress turns its eye toward global warming legislation this fall, Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will host Governor Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming, the CEO of American Electric Power, and other experts for a hearing exploring how to maintain coal as part of the energy mix for America and the world, while avoiding dangerous global warming. Chairman Markey and the rest of the Select Committee will learn about advanced coal technologies like carbon capture and storage, and how a framework for cutting emissions could affect the development and deployment of this technology and the future of coal-fired power plants.

Witnesses

• Governor Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming
• Michael Morris, Chairman and CEO, American Electric Power
• Carl Bauer, Director, Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory
• David Hawkins, Director, Natural Resources Defense Council’s Climate Center
• Robert Sussman, Partner, Latham & Watkins, LLP
• Stuart Dalton, Director for the Generation Sector, Electric Power Research Institute

09/06/2007 at 09:30AM

On Wednesday, September 5, 2007 the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Science and Technology will hold a hearing to receive testimony on the use of coal to produce liquid fuel, the status of coal-to-liquid (CTL) technologies and what additional research, development and demonstration programs should be undertaken at the Department of Energy or other agencies to better understand the benefits and barriers to converting coal into transportation fuels.

The Subcommittee will hear testimony from six witnesses who will speak to a range of policies that warrant consideration before moving forward with the advancement of the production of synthetic transportation fuels from coal. Policies for consideration include carbon dioxide management, infrastructure improvements, water usage, energy security, energy balance of CTL technologies (energy used and produced), exhaust emissions, options for using coal with organically derived feedstocks to produce liquid fuels, coal production requirements, potential outcomes for consumers, and the appropriate level of federal investment in CTL technologies. They also will discuss the technical and economical challenges with meeting any desired policy objectives as well as the benefits and drawbacks of investing federal resources in CTL technologies.

Witnesses * Dr. Robert L. Freerks, Director of Product Development Rentech Corp., Denver, CO. He will speak to the state of development of CTL technologies using the Fischer-Tropsch process. He will highlight the benefits of the commercialization of the FT process and discuss some of the challenges.

• John Ward, VP, Marketing and Governmental Affairs Headwaters, Inc. South Jordan, Utah. He will discuss the growing global demand for oil and the need to explore alternative liquid fuel options using the nation’s abundant coal reserves. He will review the local and global economic benefits as well as the national security and environmental benefits.
• Dr. James Bartis, Sr. Policy Researcher RAND Corp., Arlington, VA . He will address economic and national security benefits of CTL technology as well as the technical challenges for addressing the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the CTL process. He will also provide suggestions for federal activities needed to address the uncertainties surrounding CTL technology.
• David G. Hawkins, Director, Climate Center at Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC. He will speak to the environmental concerns associated with the adoption of CTL technologies – in particular, the “well-to-wheel” emissions of these new fuels and the impact on global climate change. He will also address other energy strategies which still rely on coal, but help to reduce our nation’s carbon dioxide footprint at the same time.
• Dr. Richard D. Boardman, The Secure Energy Initiative Head, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID. He will discuss water resource management related to the production of liquid fuels from coal. He will also address the potential for producing liquid transportation fuels using coal with organically derived feedstocks.
• Dr. Joseph Romm, Center for Energy & Climate Solutions; Center for American Progress; former Acting Asst. Sec at Department of Energy during the Clinton Administration, Washington, DC. He will address the environmental policy considerations related to advancing CTL technology. He will focus on the role of CTL technology in a world with greenhouse gas constraints.

09/05/2007 at 10:00AM

As global warming rapidly intensifies, the prospect of much more extensive hunger worldwide becomes increasingly likely, especially in poor countries, due to drought, Katrina-like storms, glacial melting and sea level rise. These impacts will lead to crop failures and economic and social disruption on a massive scale.

To draw attention to this threat and its moral implications, the U.S. Climate Emergency Council is calling on thousands of caring citizens to voluntarily give up food for one day on September 4th, 2007. Other participants will fast even longer beginning on that date, some for weeks. Give up food for one day now to draw attention to the fact that all of us may have no food tomorrow unless we halt global warming.

• Website
• Register

09/04/2007 at 12:00AM

Over the last several days Hurricane Dean whipped through the Caribbean before slamming into the Yucatan Peninsula and the Mexican mainland. While loss of life and damages are still uncalculated, Dean will join the ranks of Andrew, Charlie, Hugo, Rita. And of course, Katrina. Their names are seared into the minds of those who lived through them. The 100+ mile an hour winds and stinging sideways rain wreaked devastation – ripping roofs off houses, flattening whole buildings, tossing around cars as if they were toys, causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage, and taking lives. Recovery often takes years. Two years after Hurricane Katrina struck land on August 29, 2005, thousands of Mississippi and New Orleans residents have yet to restore their homes, businesses or lives. And some may never do so. Hurricanes gather and release nature’s fury, and the consequences are deadly. And now the actions of humans since the dawn of the industrial age will only propel future hurricanes’ power. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere released by burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels has begun to warm the planet, including our oceans, and scientists have determined that warmer sea surface temperature can boost hurricanes’ ferocity, and may even increase their frequency. It is imperative that we do everything we can to prepare for the potential disasters.

In conjunction with the release of the report, Forecast: Storm Warnings, the Center for American Progress will conduct a forum that will discuss the impact of global warming on hurricane severity and frequency. In addition, there will be a discussion of necessary federal, state, and local policies that would increase the resilience of hurricane prone communities. The forum will feature:

• Mayor Richard Crotty of Orange County, Florida
• hurricane scientist Dr. Peter J. Webster
• John B. Copenhaver of DRI International
• Jane Bullock, former chief of staff of Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt.

The urgency of this work grows every day as thousands of Americans relocate to coastal areas, but with the best science, local mitigation, and federal support, we can minimize the likelihood that future storms join the tragic roster of the deadliest hurricanes. Unfortunately, the global warming forecast is for storm warnings ahead.

1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor Washington, DC 20005

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08/27/2007 at 01:00PM

The 2007 Los Angeles Global Warming Forum will take place Thursday, August 16th at Cal State LA from 9:00am – 3:00pm.

Participants at the forum, which is being organized in collaboration with California State University, Los Angeles, will discuss the impacts of global warming on local resources, highlight local and regional initiatives to mitigate impacts, and discuss economic opportunities associated with taking action to improve energy efficiency. Also, exhibitors will display new energy efficiency strategies and new technologies at an expo.

On August 2nd, the House passed The Green Jobs Act of 2007, legislation introduced by Solis to invest in work force training for the green economy. The bill was passed as part of the House Democratic leadership’s energy reform bill – H.R. 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act.

Cal State University, Los Angeles Golden Eagle Ballroom (3rd floor) 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032

• Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (CA-32), member of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
• Former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley
• Mayor of Long Beach, Bob Foster
• Van Jones, director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

08/16/2007 at 09:00AM