EE Global – Time is Running Out!

Join the Joint Center (an endorsing organization) and over 300 attendees for the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, the Alliance to Save Energy’s robust, high-level energy efficiency gathering held May 20 and 21, 2013, in Washington, DC.

EE Global is encourages candid conversation on energy issues with discussion-based executive dialogue sessions and plenary sessions led by an impressive roster of thought leaders. The traditional exposition has been replaced with a Connections Club where attendees and sponsors can network and build relationships in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. Attendees can also venture out of the Convention Center and straight to Capitol Hill for an opportunity to mingle with U.S. policymakers at the Energy 2030 Reception.

EE Global allows for collaboration with highly-credentialed energy efficiency influencers, including leaders and policymakers from government, NGOs, universities, and industry in over 25 countries. It also offers the opportunity to hear from such distinguished speakers as Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.); Helen Burt, SVP & Chief Consumer Officer, PG&E; Odon de Buen, Director General, CONUEE; Jeff Drees, EVP, Professional Services Division, Schneider Electric; Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO & Chairperson, The GEF; John Norris, Commissioner, FERC; and Govenor Bill Ritter, Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University.

Registration ends soon. Visit the Alliance to Save Energy to learn more about EE Global and purchase your ticket.

The Joint Center Endorses EE Global

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is pleased to announce its endorsement of EE Global, the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, which will be held in Washington, DC, on May 20 and 21, 2013. Hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy, EE Global is the premier gathering of energy efficiency influencers from around the world, an interactive event designed for debate, partnership-building, and idea-sharing to drive the next generation of energy efficiency.

The EE Global agenda includes discussion topics ranging from the role of energy efficiency in a changing climate to the challenges of achieving net-zero to creating profitable emerging markets in developing countries. Twenty Executive Dialogue Sessions and two Plenary Sessions will feature such experts as U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, UNIDO Director-general Kandeh Yumkella, Whirlpool Corporation Chairman and CEO Jeff Fettig, and countless other Thought Leaders.

Space has been added to allow for an additional 100 attendees at EE Global 2013. Registrations are available on a first-come, first-served basis and can be purchased online.

Bringing Conservation to the Congregations

by Danielle Deane
originally posted at Region Forward

For nearly five years, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has taken the lead in identifying and advancing African American perspectives on climate change, energy conservation and environmental matters. Now, we’re taking a practical step to bring part of that message to a larger audience.

The Joint Center, an organization aimed at expanding participation in the political and public policy arenas, has formed a partnership with African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) Bishops Vashti Murphy McKenzie of Nashville and Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr., of Washington, DC, and with the non-profit organization GREEN DMV, to help local congregations raise their environmental awareness and make their churches more energy efficient. One benefit of this program is that the churches will be able to redirect cost savings to carry out their missions in the community.

The project will take on several churches in the Washington region and in the Tennessee-Kentucky region in its first phase. GREEN DMV, which promotes the use of clean energy and the development of green jobs as a way out of poverty, will assess energy use at selected churches in the regions and implement low- and no-cost strategies for reducing energy use. We intend to track and document the results so that the team can share best practices with other congregations at one of the denomination’s largest gatherings, the 49^th Quadrennial Session of the AME Church General Conference in Nashville this summer.

The project, which is funded by the Walmart Foundation, strikes a favorable balance between good stewardship and good sense; we expect it to yield both financial and community-oriented rewards.

During the launch, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has an Energy Star Congregations Network to provide information and technical support for churches that want to go green, will provide guidance.

The EPA estimates that if the nation’s 370,000 congregations reduce energy use by 10 percent, they would save nearly $315 million and provide 1.8 billion kilowatt hours of electricity without additional cost or pollution!

African American churches have always been leaders in social movements that have shaped the nation. This collaboration with the AME churches extends that tradition.

Danielle Deane is the Director of the Energy and Environment Program at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. For more information on Ms. Deane and her work, please visit the Joint Center website.

Health Benefits Anticipated from EPA’s Proposed “Utility Air Toxics Rule”

by Gina E. Wood and Leslie L. Simmons

Coal and oil-fired power plants release mercury, arsenic, other metals, acid gases, and particulates – all of which can harm people’s health. These pollutants are linked to cancer, IQ loss, heart disease, lung disease and premature death.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to dramatically improve public health, the climate, and even the economy by proposing the Mercury and Utility Air Toxics Standards (Utility Air Toxics Rule). The proposed standards will reduce emissions of mercury, other toxic metals, hydrogen chloride and other acid gases, and organic air toxins like dioxin and furans – known human carcinogens. These standards are long overdue, and represent the first time that the EPA is requiring coal and oil-fired power plants to control their emissions of toxic air pollutants.

Recently, some opponents of the rule have gone so far as to claim that African Americans will be disproportionately impacted by its costs.  These claims are unsubstantiated and fly in the face of what we know:  that African Americans and other people of color are disproportionately harmed by air pollution where they live. None of the studies used to support claim of adverse economic impacts on African Americans actually evaluate the impacts of EPA’s regulations or policies, much less this specific regulation. Moreover, the statements of the groups opposing the EPA regulations fail to acknowledge the well-documented disproportionate impacts of dirty air and greenhouse gases on people of color.  EPA has conducted analyses for all of the greenhouse gas and clean air regulations it has promulgated, and its analyses demonstrate that the economic impacts are minimal.

The New Rule Will Reduce Toxic Air Pollution and Save Lives

Per the EPA’s Regulatory Impact Analysis, the proposed “Utility Air Toxics Rule” will dramatically reduce toxic air pollution from our nation’s power plants and deliver significant benefits that will:

• Reduce the risk of mercury damage to children’s developing brains, which results in IQ loss and diminished ability to learn.
• Protect Americans from cancer and other health risks caused by other toxic air pollutants.
• Save thousands of lives each year by reducing the amount of dangerous particulates across the country.  This includes neighborhoods near power plants and neighborhoods hundreds of miles away from the nearest power plant.
• Protect thousands of lakes and streams – and the fish that live there and the mammals and birds that eat them – from mercury and acid rain pollution.
• Provide employment for tens of thousands of American workers building, installing, and operating the equipment to reduce emissions of mercury, acid gases, and other toxic air pollutants.

Each year, the proposed rule would prevent serious health effects including 6,800-17,000 premature deaths, 11,000 heart attacks, 120,000 asthma attacks, and 850,000 missed work or “sick” days. Avoiding “sick days” saves companies and families money. It is particularly important for the millions of Americans whose jobs do not provide paid sick leave and who risk losing their jobs if they miss work too often. The proposed rule would also prevent 12,200 hospital admissions and emergency room visits, and 4,500 cases of chronic bronchitis each year.

While some in industry focus on the costs of this rule, any costs are far outweighed by the benefits. The value of the improvements to health alone total $59 billion to $140 billion each year.  This means that for every dollar spent to reduce this pollution, society would get $5-$13 in health benefits.

Be Heard!

The EPA will accept comments on the proposal until August 4, 2011. To learn how to submit a comment, see http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/getinvolved.html. For more information about the Utility Air Toxics Rule, see http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/utility/utilitypg.html.

Source: EPA, “Reducing Toxic Pollution from Power Plants” Mar. 16, 2011.

Gina E. Wood is the Director of Policy and Planning and Deputy Director of the Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. She also works closely with the Joint Center’s Climate Change Initiative. More information on Ms. Wood and her work can be found at the Joint Center website.