Planning for Our Energy and Climate Future‏

Everyone is invited to attend a program brought to Rochester by

State Rep. Bill Hilty, Chair of the MN House Energy Policy and Finance Division 

Planning for our Energy and Climate Future

When:  3 PM Friday, January 18 

Where: Heintz Center Commons, 1926 College View Rd SE, Rochester, MN

In February of 2005 the Hirsch Report, a study of global petroleum supplies commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy, began with the following statement:

“The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented. Viable mitigation options exist on both the supply and demand sides, but to have substantial impact, they must be initiated more than a decade in advance of peaking.” A GAO report to Congress entitled: “Uncertainty About Future Oil Supply Makes It Important for Developing a Strategy for Addressing a Peak and Decline in Oil Production” followed in 2006.

Some people took these warnings seriously and began planning and strategizing for the future described in these reports. Two of those people, along with State Representative Bill Hilty, Chair of the House Energy Policy and Finance Committee will be appearing in Rochester on January 18th at the Heintz Center Commons at 3 PM to discuss what they have done and what we all need to do to prepare for the enormous challenges with which energy and climate uncertainties confront us.

Their emphasis will be on the role of local units of government and on questions such as: What are the implications for the economy? How will people get to work (and other places)? How will food availability, prices, quality and choices be affected? How will demand for public services be affected? And, how will our ability to provide services be affected? Will business opportunities offset impacts?

John Kaufmann is currently senior policy analyst for the Oregon DOE’s Conservation Division, in which capacity he tracks oil and natural gas supply issues. He has worked on energy issues with the Scientists’ Institute for Public Information, and taught energy and environmental policy at the State University of New York at Purchase.  John started with the Oregon Department of Energy as a solar energy specialist in 1980.  He led Oregon’s efforts to adopt the most energy-efficient residential and non-residential building codes in the U.S., and was instrumental in getting northwest HUD-code home manufacturers to build to high energy efficiency standards. He received the American Planning Association Professional Achievement Award in 1989 for his work getting 26 local governments in the Portland Metro area to jointly adopt solar orientation and solar rights ordinances.  At various times he has managed the agency’s Residential and Business Energy Tax Credit programs, public buildings programs, new energy technologies efforts, and provided staff support for Portland’s Peak Oil Task Force.

Daniel Lerch, as Post Carbon Institute Program Manager, directs its Post Carbon Cities program, providing resources and assistance to local governments on peak oil and climate change. He has worked with urban land use and transportation planning issues for over ten years in the public, private and non-profit sectors, and is a co-founder of The City Repair Project, an award-winning community localization non-profit. Daniel has a BA in Urban Studies from Rutgers University inNew Jersey and Master of Urban Studies from Portland State University in Oregon. He is the author of Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty, a guidebook for local governments.

What these guys have to say is too important not to hear.

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Published by thefootprint on January 7th, 2008 tagged Environment, Energy, Peak oil

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