Roundtable Discussions

Is Ethanol in America’s Future? Experts Discuss at Aspen Institute
Three leading energy industry experts led a conversation on the potential of ethanol at the Aspen Institute headquarters in Washington, DC, March 30. Red Cavaney, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute; Nathanael Greene, senior energy policy specialist at the National Resources Defense Council’s Air and Energy Program; and Jim Woolsey, former director of the CIA and VP in Booz Allen Hamilton’s Global Resilience practice, pictured at right, talked about the future of biofuels as a replacement for gasoline in the US. Hosted by The Aspen Institute Program on Energy, the Environment, and the Economy (EEE) and Fortune magazine, the lunchtime discussion was sponsored by Cinergy and moderated by EEE director Jack Riggs and Fortune senior writer Adam Lashinsky.  Read more.

Industry and Government Energy and Security Leaders Convene over Protection of US Electricity System
David Owens (pictured, left) of the Edison Electric Institute and Jim Caverly (pictured, right) of the Department of Homeland Security discussed the vulnerability and protection of the nation's electricity system at the Washington, DC, headquarters of the Aspen Institute on February 8. According to Caverly, electricity is a linchpin of the economy, and refineries, pipelines, communications systems, and other critical infrastructures depend on it. He described the need to move from a "guns, guards, and gates" mentality to a cooperative approach relying on the industry to protect facilities within its perimeters while the government tries to identify and head off threats from without. Read more.

Rehabilitation of Louisiana Wetlands Discussed at Institute Roundtable
Retired Army Corps of Engineers Gen. Gerald Galloway, Mark Davis, executive director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt (pictured together from left to right) offered a variety of approaches to restoring coastal wetlands at a December 5 dialogue at the Institute’s Washington, DC offices. All agreed, though, on the need for coordinated state-federal planning and an integrated overarching vision rather than project-by-project spending.  Read more.

Key Stakeholders Discuss the Urgent Need for Clean Water Worldwide
Seeking ways to highlight a problem that causes one death every 15 seconds, the Aspen Institute’s Program on Energy, the Environment, and the Economy (EEE) hosted an October 19 roundtable discussion of A Silent Tsunami: The Urgent Need for Clean Water and Sanitation, at the Aspen Institute’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The report — a result of a conference last April attended by leaders from business, government, and environmental and faith-based organizations — outlined constructive recommendations for the US government and other US organizations to provide water services and to make the World Water Forum in Mexico City next March a success. Read more.