Breakout Sessions
The following concurrent sessions will take place Thursday, January 26, 2006 from 1:30-5:00 pm (sessions are subject to change).
Goals of the Sessions
A. DECISION-MAKING IN THE REAL WORLD
The purpose of these concurrent breakout sessions is to explore areas of real world decision-making that provide for opportunities to significantly shape our energy future.
1. Financing Energy Decisions (Combined with Session 2)
2. Public Incentives vs. Market Forces
Summary:
What are the relative roles of public incentive and market forces in determining which energy projects are funded? Is there a need for something like the “New Apollo” program proposed by Rep. Jay Inslee? This session will feature a presentation by Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior, 1993-2000, who will discuss his new book Cities in the Wilderness, which makes the case for major public investment.
Chair:
Craig Schiffries, Director of Science Policy, National Council for Science and the Environment
Discussants:
Bruce Babbitt, Former United States Secretary of the Interior, 1993-2000
Richard Doege, University of Maryland
Tom Donlan, Editorial Page Editor, Barron's Financial Newspaper
Mindy Lubber, President, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES)
3. Vehicles and Transportation
Summary:
The transportation sector is not only a major consumer of oil but also a major contributor to climate change and emission of pollutants? What are the opportunities and challenges to “winning the oil end game”, creating fuel cells, electric cars and other transformative approaches? What are the opportunities and challenges for mass transit? What are other interim strategies?
Chair:
Joe Romm, Executive Director, Center for Energy & Climate Solutions; Former Assistant Secretary of Energy
Discussant:
Julie Abraham, Director, Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer Programs, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
4. Community Planning
Summary:
The physical design of a community has significant impacts on energy use. Sprawl creates automobile dependent communities. A counter-movement including “new urbanism” and “walkable, liveable communities” and integrating transportation and energy planning into community design provides an alternative to spiraling sprawl. How can transportation and energy-related issues be better incorporated into community planning?
Chair:
Jeff Soule, Director of Policy, American Planning Association
Facilitator:
Kimberly Lamphier, Business Resource Representative, Montomery Works, Montgomery County, MD
Discussants:
David Whitaker, Transportation Planning Manager, State of Maryland, Department of Planning
Mal Rivkin, Principal, Rivkin Associates
5. Creating Climate-neutral Campuses
Summary:
Many college and university campuses are examining their energy consumption and taking steps to reduce their contribution to global warming. Initiatives range from student led activities to multi-campus partnerships coordinated and encouraged by state government. How can scholarship regarding energy efficiency, demand management, and conservation be integrated with campus practices? What are the key steps in converting a campus to climate-neutrality?
Session Co-Chairs:
Kristy Jones, Coordinator, Campus Ecology Program, National Wildlife Federation
Julian Keniry, Director, Youth and Campus Programs, National Wildlife Federation
Discussants:
Jennifer Andersen, Coordinator, Maine Global Warming Action Coalition, Natural Resources Council of Maine
Dan Kammen, Professor and Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, University of California - Berkeley
Brooke Owyang, Student, Berkeley Energy Alliance for Renewables Project, University of California - Berkeley
Andrea Putman, President, P2 Consulting
6. Building Design
Summary:
Tremendous energy savings can be achieved from designing residential, commercial, and industrial buildings with energy conservation as a goal. Designs of new buildings and retrofits of existing buildings can save money and energy? What are the opportunities and challenges for science, engineering and design to turn Individual buildings into power plants and net energy producers rather than energy hogs?
Chair:
David Michaelson, Chair, National Capital Region, U.S. Green Building Council
Discussants:
Volker Hartkopf, Director, Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, Carnegie Mellon University
Tom Kiser, CEO, Professional Supply, Inc.
7. Utilities - Regulations and Best Practices
Summary:
Aside from transportation, the energy sustainability and security issue will largely be determined by the practices of utilities. Is clean coal an oxymoron and an illusion? What are the short term and long term challenges and opportunities for utilities to provide electricity with reduced impact on the environment, human health and expenses? What are the role of regulatory and non-regulatory means to advance best practices?
Chair:
Scott Sklar, President, Stella Group
Discussants:
Winifred Perkins, Manager, Environmental Relations, Florida Power and Light
Bill Prindle, Deputy Director, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
B. GUIDING RESEARCH FOR SAFE, CLEAN, AVAILABLE, RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY
The purpose of these breakout sessions is to explore areas of research that can have significant impact on energy decision-making. Participants will explore how research agendas and transitions from lab to application can be shaped to achieve the greatest possible impact as rapidly as possible. Drawing upon case studies and existing programs, participants will recommend approaches for research agenda, knowledge and tech transfer, public-private and academic-corporate collaborations, investment and risk taking, to achieve desired outcomes
8. Earth Observation Systems and Energy Programs
Summary:
The hurricanes of fall 2005 have made painfully clear the inter-related nature of weather and energy supply. Earth observation systems are key tools for forecasting, identification of energy resources and impacts. What opportunities exist from formation of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems and what are the challenges in linking earth observation to energy needs?
Chairs:
Jill Engel-Cox, Battelle Science & Technology International
Erica Zell, Research Scientist, Battelle Memorial Institute
Co-Chairs:
Richard Eckman, Energy Management Program Manager, Earth-Sun Systems Division, NASA
Discussants:
Paul Gilman, Project Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Scott McFarland, Business Development, The Boeing Company
Scott Rayder, Chief of Staff, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Paul Stackhouse, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Langley Research Center
9. The Future of Energy: Projections, Uncertainty and Risk
Summary:
Decisionmakers depend upon forecasts of future energy availability and consumption. Energy-related projections are carried out by a wide range of organizations and at varied geospatial scales. How strong is the science of energy forecasting? What are the roles of scenario-based approaches to better incorporate future technological changes? What public and private investments are needed to improve energy forecasting?
Chair:
Jim Barrett, Director, Sustainable Economics Program, Redefining Progress
Discussants:
Charles Groat, Director, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Texas, Austin
Dan Desmond, Deputy Secretary, Office of Energy and Technology Development, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
10. Assessing Energy Impacts on the Environment and People
Summary:
Many decisions about energy investments are influenced by information or assumptions about energy sources/systems and their relative environmental, social, and economic impacts. How can better comparisons be made? Who are credible sources for these comparisons?
Chair:
Nathalie Valette-Silver, National Ocean Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Discussants:
Bill Karsell, Task Force Leader, ASTM International
Stanley Rhodes, President and CEO, Scientific Certification Systems
11. Agriculture and Bioenergy – Achieving Sustainability
Summary:
Biofuels is one of the fastest growing areas of energy production. What are the potentials for bioenergy? What is needed for a secure and sustainable system for energy feedstock production?
Co-Chairs:
Rick Cruse, Professor, Iowa State University Program in Sustainable Agriculture
Robin Graham, Group Leader, Ecosystem and Plant Sciences, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Discussants:
Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst, Natural Resource Defense Council
Paul Lasley, Professor and Chair, Rural Sociology, Iowa State University
Lee Lynd, Professor of Engineering, Adjunct Professor of Biology, Dartmouth College
12. Setting Research Priorities: Who? How? Why?
Summary:
How are decisions made about research priorities? What are the processes and pressures? What are the opportunities for transformative research regarding energy sources, uses and processes? How can advances in other fields of science such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and information technology be incorporated into developing better energy solutions?
Chair:
Gerry Stokes, Vice President for International Partnerships, Battelle Joint Global Change Research Institute
Discussant:
Jerry Ekmann, Associate Director, National Energy Technology Laboratory
C. EXPANDING UNDERSTANDING
The purpose of these breakout sessions is to explore areas where opportunities exist to broaden and deepen understanding of energy issues that will improve the scientific basis for energy decision-making in various sectors of society. Participants will explore aspects of education and communication, learn from case studies, and recommend approaches to expand objective understanding of energy facts and opportunities.
13. Professional Education and Capacity Building
Summary:
Workers with a large numbers of scientific, technical, social, and other skills are needed to advance energy production and use to a more sustainable and secure position? What are the skill sets and professions needed? How do community colleges, colleges and universities provide the educated workforce to meet these needs?
Chair:
Hilary Inyang, Duke Energy Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Discussant:
Melonee Docherty, Advanced Technology Environmental Education
Roger Ebbage, Director, Energy Programs, Lane Community College
14. Consumer and Decisionmaker Education
Summary:
Although energy is now a “hot topic” for consumers and policy makers, neither the American public nor most politicians have particularly high knowledge about energy issues and options. One result is that the range of the debate about energy supply and demand is rather limited and often not based on scientific knowledge. What options and opportunities exist for educating decisionmakers and consumers? What works well and should be expanded?
Chair:
Carol Werner, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Discussants:
Jill Abelson, Energy STAR, U.S. EPA
Cyrus Bhedwar, State Energy Program Manager, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority
Jim Kundell, Director, Vinson Institute of Environmental Policy, University of Georgia
15. K-12 Energy Education
Summary:
There are relatively few curricula and programs directed towards educating K-12 students about energy. What works well and can be expanded upon? What are the needs for a major new national scale energy education program aimed at young people
Chair:
Blanche Sheinkopf, President, The Sheinkopf Group - Energy and Education Consulting
Discussants:
Karen Anderson, Green Schools Program Manager, Montgomery County Public Schools
Sharon Cooke, Former Chief of Education Programs, Washington DC Energy Office
Katy Hatcher, ENERGY STAR K-12 National Manager, U.S. E.P.A.
Robert Kobet, President, Sustainaissance International
Joanne Spaziano, National Teacher Advisory Board, National Energy Education Development (NEED)
16. Why do People Make the Decisions They Do? - Capitalizing on the Social Sciences
Summary:
What can social sciences contribute to understanding how decisions relating to energy are made? What are the areas where better information can lead to improved decisionmaking? How can social science research be better incorporated into energy planning?
Co-Chairs:
Katy Janda, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Oberlin College
Christopher Payne, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Discussants:
Paul Stern, National Academy of Sciences
Mary Worzala, Director of Energy Programs for Academy for Educational Development
17. Innovative Uses of Information Technology
Summary:
How can information technology be better used to improve understanding about energy and to advance better decisions about energy? How can NCSE’s new Energy Portal be developed in a way to serve improved decisionmaking?
Chair:
Cutler Cleveland, Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, Boston University
18. Business Approaches to a Sustainable Energy Future
Summary:
Some businesses are taking considerable leadership in reducing energy use and cutting emissions of greenhouse gases. What are the motivations and actions of these businesses? How can these commitments and practices be spread to other companies and also be used to advance national action towards a more sustainable and secure future?
Co-Chairs:
Charles J. Bennett, Global Corporate Citizenship Research Group, The Conference Board
Meredith Whiting, Senior Research Fellow, The Conference Board
Discussants:
Byran Jacob, Environmental Technologies Manager, The Coca-Cola Company
Franklyn A. Ericson, Manager, Environmental Operations & Central Services, S.C. Johnson & Sons
19. Global and U.S. Perspectives on the Prospect for Renewable Energy
Summary:
This session will cover policy, markets, industry, and technology, and will provide perspectives on key issues, opportunities and outlook for renewable energy.
Chairs:
Michael Eckhart, President, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
David Hales, Council for Sustainability Policy, Worldwatch Institute
Discussants:
Henry (Hank) Habicht II, CEO, Global Environment & Technology Foundation
Bill Holmberg, Chairman, Biomass Coordinating Council, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
Howard Learner, Executive Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center
Griffin Thompson, Agency for International Development, United States State Department
Tom Weirich, Business Development Associate, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
