Cap and Trade Summit
A live podcast on Cap and Trade Summit -
Energy & Climate Change Summit
Private Sector Initiates Energy States Alliance on Tuesday, August 25, 2009.
By Courtesy of Black Hills Today.com staff writer – Kathy L. Swensen
Private Sector Initiating Energy States Alliance Summit
A Summit on Energy and Climate Change Policy in Rapid City, South Dakota.
“National energy policy will dramatically impact the states that produce energy in America,” said Kelvin Hullet, President of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber. “Uniting our efforts allows us to speak with one voice to our elected officials.
It also provides the energy producing states with an avenue to ensure the economic effects, as well as the environmental aspects, are reviewed in energy and climate change policy.”The Alliance has met via phone conferences over the last couple of months. In an effort to advance the discussion, the Alliance is scheduling a meeting in Rapid City for Tuesday, August 25 at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center. In addition to discussing how to work together, the meeting will include presentations from the individual state representatives, the United States Chamber, and David Kreutzer, the lead economist for the Heritage Foundation, who will address the issue of “Cap and Trade.”
To date, the Energy States Alliance has included just Chambers of Commerce in the seven states. The Alliance sent a letter to U.S. Senators from the respective states in early August. In the letter, the Alliance laid out their initial principles regarding energy and climate change legislation.Black Hills Today.com. will be LIVE web-casting, online internationally, and videotaping the Private Sector Initiates Energy States Alliance, throughout the day, Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center.Registration for the Energy States Alliance Summit on Energy and Climate Change Policy is $25.00. Registration is open to the public on-line through www.bismarckmandan.com/events.
The Energy States Alliance started with local and state Chambers of Commerce in Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming, and will now work to broaden its representation with a meeting in Rapid City, South Dakota on Tuesday, August 25th, at the Ramkota Conference Center.
“This region of the United States has a lot to gain or loose in the upcoming debate,” said Don Sterhan, President of the Mountain Plains Equity Group in Montana. “Most of our electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants and the long distances we drive make us reliant on fossil fuels. It is imperative the rest of the nation understands how this legislation will impact our local communities, our residents, and our businesses.”
“While we began with the business community, it is essential that we expand our alliance to include agriculture, consumers, energy producers, state representatives and regulators,” said Julie Simon, President of the Gillette, WY Chamber. “As the residents in energy producing states, we must unify our voices and ensure the legislation brought forward is cost effective and addresses energy and climate change policies in a way that advances our local and state economies.”
“One of the key concerns of the Energy States Alliances members is the proposed issue of Cap-and-Trade. The current draft passed by the House of Representatives will increase the cost of energy in states heavily reliant on fossil fuels,” said Linda Rabe, President of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce. “Estimates on the increase in costs to Alliance State consumers and businesses are hard to gauge but it is apparent, the costs will be in the hundreds of dollars and in some cases thousands of dollars.”
