Climate Change Summit on Tap in Boston
Employers affected by carbon legislation and other executives who are responsible for strategic planning regarding energy consumption are invited to attend "Positioning Business to Succeed in the Low Carbon Economy -- A Climate Change Summit." The event will be held Friday, Feb. 12, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Boston and will feature leading energy experts from the Obama administration and Capitol Hill.
The conference is designed to assist employers that face growing uncertainty regarding climate and energy regulation and policy find the resources and answers they need to help them plan and position their business more favorably in the coming low-carbon economy.
Through a full day of presentations and panel discussions by legislators, employers, researchers, and litigators, the summit will address questions such as, What does the debate over energy policy and regulation mean to businesses? What steps are businesses already taking to position themselves for the coming lower carbon economy? What public and private funds are available to help businesses transition to a low carbon economy? What opportunities exist for leaders in this area?
The event's sponsors include Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan association of Massachusetts employers; Preti Flaherty, one of New England's largest law firms; Environment Northeast, a non-profit organization that researches and advocates policies that promote clean energy, clean air, and healthy forests; and the and Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environment. The summit's speakers include:
- Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, discussing the future of climate and energy policy in the Obama administration;
- U.S. Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), one of the primary authors of the Waxman-Markey energy and climate bill, who will speak about the road ahead in Washington for climate and energy legislation;
- Ian Bowles, secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environment;
- David Littel, chair of RGGI Inc. (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative), the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, comprised of 10 northeastern and mid-Atlantic states aiming to reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector 10 percent by 2018.;
- Thomas King, president of National Grid;
- Tim Healey, CEO and chairman of EnerNOC; and
- Nick D'Aberloff, president of the New England Clean Energy Council.
Presentations will cover topics such as where the states and the region are headed with new carbon and energy legislation and regulation; targets and initiatives of the Massachusetts Green Communities Act and related programs; the status of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and other state initiatives; and how industry can use policies and programs to invest and prepare for the transition.
The conference will be held at the Boston Harbor Hotel, located in Boston at 70 Rowes Wharf. Admission is $50 per attendee and includes lunch. Registration and more information is available online at www.2010climatesummit.org/.