|
A host of international meetings and exciting policy activities have kept us on-the-go at the Alliance this week. Meanwhile, a few friends of the Alliance achieved major milestones this week. First, we'd like to recognize Kathleen Hogan, former Cheif of the EPA's Climate Protection Partnership Division, who will begin work as deputy assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy. A hearty congratulations to a great friend of the Alliance and energy efficiency advocates everywhere! Also, our illustrious founder Senator Charles H. Percy turned 90 years “young” on Sunday! Those familiar with him will surely agree when I say that Senator Percy's peerless leadership and singular dedication to energy efficiency is the bedrock for the whole of our accomplishments. I encourage you to read more about his life and work in our special tribute article.
Of all the “milestone” birthday gifts our “grandfather of energy efficiency” could receive, I’m certain that he would appreciate the recent developments in the U.S. Senate, which has been working here at home with the hope that the U.S. will have a climate bill enacted by the time of the international talks on climate change this December in Copenhagen. Yesterday morning, at a press conference outside the Capitol, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry released their long-awaited draft climate bill. The draft leaves many important questions unanswered on major issues such as allocation, and there are a number of other Senate Committees that will need to weigh in on the bill before the Senate leadership can bring the climate legislation to the floor. However, the Kerry-Boxer bill is a strong framework upon which the Senate can build vitally important policies and funding for energy efficiency as the cheapest, quickest and cleanest way of reducing energy demand and tackling global warming.
Without a doubt, the climate and energy debates here in the U.S. are “training ground” for the serious deliberations to take place three months from now at COP15.
We are also pleased to see that many of our international friends joining the energy efficiency community in lock-step to Copenhagen. Just last week I had the tremendous honor of meeting President of Mexico Felipe Calderón and presenting him with the I-Star of Energy Efficiency on behalf of the progressive programs of Mexican housing and mortgage agencies CONAVI and INFONAVIT. President Calderón pledged that both CONAVI and INFONAVIT, the agencies who received the award at the Alliance’s annual dinner just days before, will continue his support of energy efficiency in Mexico's low-income housing industry. It was a pleasure to be accompanied by a few of our Associates at this prestigious event, and I thank Kent Anson of Honeywell, Tom Catania of Whirlpool, Rich Kassel of the National Resources Defense Council, Jennifer Mattes and Clay Nesler of Johnson Controls Inc., EMon Board Member John Castle of Branford Castle, Jack Group of EMon, John Mollet of the International Copper Association and Peter Smith of Pataki Cahill for joining me in honoring President Calderón.
This week we hosted another friend from our international network, Member of European Parliament (Luxembourg) Claude Turmes, vice-chairman of Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, who was accompanied by his advisor Fred Thoma. A keynote speaker at EE Global 2009’s Plenary Session, Minster Turmes met with Alliance staff and Senior Counsel for Energy, Energy & Commerce Committee John Jimison and Senior Policy Associate at the Business Council for Sustainable Energy Ruth McCormick. We discussed the economic and savings benefits of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (and the vast and mostly unutilized potential of enhancing its energy efficiency provisions), as well as the net-zero energy buildings goals of the European Union and U.S. prospects at Copenhagen. I encourage you to review my slides for further details.
Thank you, Alliance Associates and Board Members, for your continued support. Until next week!
Kateri Callahan
President, Alliance to Save Energy
|
