Hill Heat

At the hearing, Chairman Feinstein will call for passage of legislation she has sponsored to close a loophole that has allowed oil and gas companies to pay no royalty payments for drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf for leases negotiated in 1998 and 1999. This measure to close the loophole was stripped from the FY2008 Interior Appropriations bill.

Under this provision, the companies who have not renegotiated their existing contracts will have a choice.

• They can keep their existing leases royalty-free if they so choose, but be barred from bidding on new contracts, or
• They can agree to renegotiate these leases in good faith and be able to participate in the bidding for new leases.

Witnesses

• C. Stephen Allred, Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior
• Randall Luthi, Director, Minerals Management Service

02/26/2008 at 10:00AM

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the House Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Caucus invite you to a briefing addressing the impacts of the President’s FY 2009 budget on energy efficiency and renewable energy (EE/RE) programs, including impacts upon states and low-income consumers. In addition, the urgent need to extend Federal tax incentives for EE/RE will be discussed. Energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies are critical elements of a national energy policy that will meet the nation’s goals of reducing energy imports, moderating energy prices, and improving the economy, national security, the environment and public health.

Panel

• Deborah Estes, Majority Counsel, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
• Scott Sklar, President, The Stella Group; Chair, Sustainable Energy Coalition Steering Committee
• Bill Prindle, Deputy Director, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
• Jeff Genzer, General Counsel, National Association of State Energy Officials; Duncan Weinberg, Genzer & Pembroke

02/14/2008 at 02:00PM

02/14/2008 at 02:00PM

Witnesses

• Dr. David L. Greene, Corporate Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Center for Transportation Analysis
• Bob Dinneen, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association
• Dr. Mary Beth Stanek, Director of Environment and Energy Policy and Commercialization, General Motors
• Dr. Don Hillebrand, Director of Center for Transportation Research, Argonne National Laboratory
• Lynda L. Ziegler, Senior Vice President of Customer Service, Southern California Edison
• Tom Stricker, Director Technical and Regulatory Affairs, Toyota Motor North America

02/14/2008 at 12:00PM

From E&E News:

Overall, the president’s $10.7 billion budget proposal released last week represents a slight decrease from last year’s budget, with funding shifted from standard functions like construction and range improvement for specific department initiatives.

Kempthorne defended the cuts when testifying before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee last week, calling the cuts “strategic reductions” that reduce overlap with other federal efforts while boosting funding for key department priorities.

“In tight budgetary times, I do feel that to the extent possible that we have to balance the budget, and by balance I mean with the issues,” Kempthorne said.

The National Park Service, for example, would receive $2.4 billion – a $47 million cut – but the request would also increase the service’s operations budget by more than $160 million, to $2.1 billion, making it the largest budget for park operations ever.

The increased funding for park operations is part of Bush’s National Parks Centennial Challenge in honor of NPS’s 100th anniversary. The plan calls for $1 billion – $100 million over each of the next 10 years – in donations from the public, friends groups and corporations, to be matched “dollar for dollar” in mandatory funds by Congress.

Kempthorne is expected to ask for support for the matching funds. The administration is also looking for additional funding for its Water for America, Birds Forever, Oceans and Coastal and Safe Borderlands initiatives.

Witness

• Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Department of the Interior

02/14/2008 at 11:00AM

The 2008 Investor Summit on Climate Risk will bring together more than 450 institutional investors, Wall Street leaders and CEOs from around the world to consider the scale and urgency of climate change risks, as well as the economic opportunities of a global transition to a clean energy future.

Purpose

The purpose of the Summit is to provide a high-level forum for state treasurers, leading institutional investors, and financial services firms from around the world to consider the scale and urgency of climate change risks, as well as the economic opportunities of a global transition to a clean energy future.

Objectives

Based on a vision of hope and opportunity, the Summit will focus on how investors can advance solutions to climate change, with a particular emphasis on the benefits of energy efficiency. The Summit aims to help investors:

• Examine recent scientific findings on climate risk and technological solutions
• Assess potential capital flows into energy efficiency and clean technologies
• Learn how treasurers, institutional investors and financial services firms worldwide are factoring climate risk into their policies and strategies
• Consider prudent steps investors can take to address climate risk and opportunities

Background

The 2008 Summit builds on the groundbreaking success of the first two UN Investor Summits on November 21, 2003, and May 10, 2005. Hundreds of institutional investors and asset managers from around the world, representing trillions of dollars in assets, attended the previous Summits. The information they shared raised profound concerns about investor exposure to climate risk, the future security of investment assets, and the fiduciary duty to take prudent steps to address climate risk on behalf of shareholders and beneficiaries. Information on previous Summits can be found at the Investor Network on Climate Risk website.

Climate Risk – and Opportunity

Climate change poses regulatory, legal, physical and competitive risks for companies. In the two years since the 2005 Summit there has been a growing recognition that climate change presents serious risks, not only for businesses and investments, but also for the global economy. Left unattended, risks from climate change will worsen over time, harming company assets and global investment portfolios. Leading economists, investors, and business leaders have stated recently that the costs of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are both affordable and significantly lower than the costs of inaction. Where there are risks, there are also opportunities, and the business opportunities posed by addressing climate change are significant. With the proper government policies and market conditions, low-carbon technologies that are available today could be more broadly deployed, and significant reductions in emissions could be achieved over the next few decades—all while creating vast new economic opportunities and new jobs.

02/14/2008 at 10:53AM

Witnesses

• Jennifer Haverkamp, Senior Counsel, Environmental Defense, Washington, DC
• Abraham Breehey, Assistant Director of Government Affairs, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers
• Kjell Olav Kristiansen, Director, Advisory Services, Point Carbon North America
• Ruksana Mirza, Vice President, Government and Environmental Affairs, Holcim, Inc.

02/14/2008 at 10:00AM

Witness

• Stephen Johnson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

02/14/2008 at 10:00AM

02/14/2008 at 09:30AM

CSIS is pleased to host Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey, for a discussion on the future of U.S. foreign assistance, energy and environmental sustainability. Frank A. Verrastro, Director and Senior Fellow, Energy and National Security Program, will moderate.

The Smart Power Speaker Series features policymakers, practitioners and opinion leaders from around the world and across the political spectrum to engage in a discussion on U.S. Smart Power. The series is a spin-off of the CSIS Commission on Smart Power.

The Commission on Smart Power, chaired by Harvard’s Joseph Nye and former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage, issued a report on November 6, 2007 on how to revitalize America’s image and influence in the world. To read the report or obtain further information, go to www.csissmartpower.org.

Coffee, tea, and soda will be served.

1800 K Street, NW
CSIS B1 – Conference Center
Washington DC, 20006

Please RSVP by emailing Sierra Stanczyk at [email protected] or calling 202-887-0200 ext. 3946

02/13/2008 at 02:00PM