Congressional Field Hearing on Energy

• Read the follow up report & policy recommendations by clicking  here .

• Watch a video of the hearing by clicking here.

• Media Coverage

  • Energy Debate Hits Home at Congressional Field Hearing - The Colorado Statesman
  • Field Hearing Focuses on Clean Energy - Boulder County Business Report
  • Boulder to Host Field Hearing on Energy - The Daily Camera

Congressman Jared Polis, in coordination with the City of Boulder, co-hosted a Congressional Field Hearing on Energy titled “Strengthening the Economy and Protecting the Environment: A 21st Century Community Approach!” on Aug. 15, 2011.

The hearing was held in the Wittemyer Courtroom of the Wolf Law Building on the University of Colorado, Boulder Campus. The purpose was to provide Congress and key departments within the Executive Branch with a thorough understanding of the successes and challenges confronting environmental, business and civic leaders in communities like Boulder that attempt to achieve energy sustainability comprehensively, through the integration of climate action, transportation, land use, and housing practices. The hearing identified creative ideas on how the federal government can best partner with these communities.

The field hearing consisted of two panels testifying before Congressman Jared Polis and his special guests:

• Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator
• Mark Udall, U.S. Senator
• James B. Martin, Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 8 Office
• Kerry Duggan, Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.

The first panel introduced local perspectives that showcased innovations in energy sustainability and associated challenges. The second panel concentrated on national perspectives on the opportunities and obstacles for federal support to replicate and integrate these initiatives across the country.

The speakers and panelists that testified at the hearing, in order in which they spoke, were:

• Susan Osborne, Mayor of the City of Boulder
• Phil Distefano, Chancellor of CU Boulder
• Lakshman Guruswamy, Director of Center for Energy & Environmental Security and Nicholas Doman Professor of International Environmental Law at CU
• David Driskell, Executive Director of Community Planning and Sustainability, City of Boulder
• John LoPorto, President & CEO, Power Tagging Technologies
• Bill Holicky, Senior Architect at Coburn Development
• Will Toor, Boulder County Commissioner
• Ash Awad, Vice President - Energy & Facility Services, McKinstry Company;
• Michelle Wyman, Executive Director, Applied Solutions
• TJ Deora, Director, Colorado Governor’s Energy Office
• Bill Ritter, former Colorado Governor and current Director of Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy and Senior Scholar with CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability.

Last Updated on Monday, 02 July 2012 10:43