Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Biography provided by participant
Since 2006, Beinecke has been head of NRDC, a top national environmental group which uses law, science, and the support of 1.2 million members and online activists to promote a safe and healthy environment. Beinecke has worked with NRDC for more than 30 years. Prior to becoming the president, she was the executive director for eight years, during which time NRDC's membership doubled and the staff grew to 300.
Beinecke is on the steering committee of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, is a member of the Yale School of Management's Advisory Board, and a former member of the Yale Corporation.
Promising Starting Point The bill's energy efficiency provisions could be even stronger. The Chairman's Mark distributed on Friday provides an excellent starting point for Senate Environment Committee consideration. As expected, it specifies the distribution of allowance value, and I am pleased to see that the vast majority of the allowances go to well defined public purposes, such as helping consumers, providing a level playing field for energy intensive industries, deploying low-carbon technologies, and preventing deforestation. The bill includes several key elements. It has dedicated investments in energy efficiency, clean transportation, and renewable energy deployment. It also has an effective mechanism… Read more
Improvements Over Waxman-Markey The Kerry-Boxer bill avoids the overbroad changes to the Clean Air Act that occurred in the House bill. The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act is the right step at the right time. It will help us revive the economy, reduce carbon emissions before it’s too late to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, and create jobs when we need them most. The bill will no doubt change as it moves through the Senate. But it is starting off well. The bill’s target of reducing emissions by 20 percent by 2020 is slightly stricter than… Read more
There was a significant amount of momentum generated at last week’s high-level events on global warming pollution. China made the biggest news at the UN Climate Summit by pledging to reduce its carbon intensity by a “notable margin” by 2020. India signaled that it would take domestic steps to reduce their emissions. Japan’s new government committed to a much deeper target than the previous government. And key world leaders strengthened their support for dealing with deforestation emissions. Of course there are a lot of details that need to be fleshed out before Copenhagen, but it is getting harder and harder… Read more
This historic proposal moves America further down the road to cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. It will reduce global warming pollution, break our dependence on oil, and save drivers money at the pump. In addition, there is consensus that these standards will be needed to complement the coming cap and trade system. I was honored to be at the Rose Garden ceremony back in May when President Obama announced this program. It was quite a sight to see the president flanked by auto executives and members of the United Auto Workers. It was a welcome sign that many forces have come… Read more
America’s mineral leasing system is long overdue for reform. Despite the economic downturn, over 60,000 oil and gas wells were drilled in the United States last year - the most wells drilled in nearly a quarter century. The ‘fast and cheap’ drilling policies of the last few years have only served to distort the energy discussion. But even if we throw out recent experience, the system that manages public resources has been predisposed toward the extraction of fossil fuels over other considerations. And it is no wonder considering that the law currently governing drilling was established in 1920. Given the anachronistic… Read more
Biography provided by participant
