ACRE Calls National Leadership Conference

The American Council for Renewable Energy has announced its 2nd annual national leadership conference to be held July 8-9, 2003 in Washington DC.

Washington D.C. – June 24, 2003 [SolarAccess.com] The Honorable Kyle McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy, will give a keynote address, one of the Administration’s first statements on its renewable energy strategy in the context of national energy policy, on July 8. The Honorable Linda Fisher, Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will give a keynote address, addressing the agency’s commitments to renewable energy and green power markets through public-private partnerships, on July 9. Steven Zwolinsky, president of GE Wind Energy, will give the dinner speech on July 8, highlighting GE’s renewable energy businesses and communications strategy. The theme of the conference is “Renewable Energy in America – Building National Strategy on State and Local Successes.” The conference will highlight successful strategies with senior speakers from New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, Nevada, and California. The conference will call attention to the opportunity for federal support of state and local initiatives potentially a new policy arena. Legislative leaders have been invited, including Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) speaking on renewable fuels; Congressman Billy Tauzin (R-LA), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, speaking on the Energy Bill; and Congressman Bill Thomas, Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, speaking on energy program budgets and tax incentives. A panel on renewable energy’s role in national energy security will feature Jim Woolsey, former director of Central Intelligence, C. Boyden Gray, former White House Counsel to President G.H.W. Bush, Bud McFarlane, former national security advisor to President Reagan, and John Podesta, former Chief of Staff to President Clinton. An international panel will include Wolfgang Palz, longtime renewable energy leader in the European Commission; Hermann Scheer, widely-acknowledged solar energy leader of Europe, Reinhard Buetikofer, Chairman of the Green Party of Germany, and Gilbert Parent, Ambassador for the Environment, and former Speaker of the House of Canada. A finance panel will feature speakers from Perseus Capital; Draper Fischer Jurvetson; Winslow Management; J.P. Morgan Chase; the Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and Baker & McKenzie. The Council covers solar energy, wind power, hydropower, ocean power, geothermal energy, waste-to-energy, biomass energy, and biofuels, as they apply to electricity, hydrogen, fuels, and end-use energy. “The Council’s mission is bringing renewable energy into the mainstream” said Hank Habicht, co-chairman of the conference. “We have a philosophy of positive promotion of renewable energy solutions, which is proving to be attractive to a broad cast of players in industry, finance, and government.” In related news, the Council announced its 100th member, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). “We see the American Council for Renewable Energy as an important part of our future, bringing all of the renewable energy interests into one group,” said Karl Gawell, Executive Director of GEA. The Council’s membership covers eight circles: industry, end users, finance, professional services, media, education, nonprofit organizations, associations, and government. The conference will be held July 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 New Jersey Avenue, Washington DC. Additional information is available at the Council’s web site at www.AmericanRenewables.org.