Climate Action Plan Seminar

Please join us for a well-informed and balanced roundtable discussion of the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change for the Rocky Mountain West from three different perspectives, including:

• Shaun McGrath, Regional Administrator of the EPA, Region 8
• Kathleen Sgamma, Vice President of Government & Public Affairs, Western Energy Alliance
• Amelia Peterson, Senior Research Associate, Governors' Climate & Forests Task Force, University of Colorado Law School Research Faculty
• Eric Waeckerlin, Attorney, Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, moderator

Topics will include:

• The Obama Administration's recent Climate Action Plan and Executive Order
• What to expect from federal agencies implementing the President's plan
• Opportunities and challenges for the West's energy sector
• Thoughts on the future of renewable energy projects in the West
• Implications of drought and drought-preparedness
• The role of state, local, and tribal governments in addressing climate change

Climate change continues to present some of the most vexing challenges of our time. Perhaps nowhere are those challenges more difficult than in the arid West - a vast area rich in natural resources, short on water, and growing in population. In the absence of Congressional greenhouse gas legislation or a comprehensive energy policy, climate change has been addressed largely through piecemeal court decisions and various legislative and administrative initiatives. Increasingly, states, local governments, and tribes are taking action. The resulting patchwork regulatory framework has created uncertainty for all stakeholders, including most notably those in the energy sector. How and where the issues of climate change regulation and policy are resolved will largely shape our energy future; and the stakes for the Western economy are significant. Join us as we discuss these developments, challenges, and opportunities.

Event Information

Friday, December 13

Breakfast | 7:30 AM Program | 8-9:00 AM