Energy & Environment: Markey Wants Answers on Rare Earths
• Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., "is pressing the Obama administration for information about alleged Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals used in defense and energy technologies, warning of threats to U.S. interests," The Hill reports.
• "Three months after BP capped its runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, the state of Louisiana is still building a chain of sand berms off its coast to block and capture oil even as federal officials and many scientists argue that the effort will prove pointless," the New York Times reports.
• An Idaho couple has "sued the state to stop the shipments by Imperial Oil and ConocoPhillips" to an oil sands site in Canada, "arguing that the" truck loads delivered there "would threaten the integrity of Idaho's historic portion of U.S. 12, as well as the safety of communities that depend on it as the main road in and out of the area," the Times also reports. "National environmental groups and climate change activists are supporting their efforts, seeing a broader opportunity to stall development of Canada's oil sands, which they denounce as a dirty source of energy. "
• "Combating climate change has long taken a back seat to coal production in West Virginia, but in the hard-fought House race in this state's 1st district, global warming hasn't even made it onto the bus," The Hill reports. "In interviews on Thursday, both the Democratic and Republican nominees for Congress voiced skepticism of the science behind global warming, and the Republican, David McKinley, flatly called concerns about climate change 'an attack on coal.'"
Contributor
Frank M. Stewart
Biography provided by participant
Frank M. Stewart is the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) whose members are energy professionals from all sectors of the industry. The Association's overall mission involves serving as a voice for the African American community in national energy policy discussions and providing its members (energy professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and students) a pathway to broaden their involvement in the energy industry through educational workshops and conferences, mentoring, community service, and business networking.
Until July 2004, Frank Stewart was the Executive Director of the Strategic Environmental Project Pipeline, (StEPP), Foundation, based in Denver, Colorado. The StEPP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 2001 to identify viable clean energy, energy efficiency, or pollution prevention projects that are appropriate to address specific criteria required by various funding sources. For the two years prior to accepting the role of Executive Director, Stewart served as the Chairman of the Board of the Foundation and was instrumental in guiding its creation and development.
Energy efficiency and renewable energy have been Stewart's professional focus for nearly 30 years. From 1994 until his retirement from federal service in 2002, Stewart was the senior executive in charge of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Golden, Colorado office. In this role, he oversaw the drafting, review, and implementation of the contracts that governed most of the Department's research, development and deployment in energy efficiency and renewable energy, including the technology development work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
From 1990 to 1994, he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, with responsibility for several grant programs, and was the principal Federal executive responsible for the Energy Extensions Service and the Local Governments Programs. In addition, Stewart managed the development and operation of the Petroleum Violations Escrow Fund, a four-billion-dollar fund established by the federal courts to support energy efficiency efforts through State and Local government. He was also responsible for the Department's international initiative to market energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Over the course of his DOE career, Stewart led several Department delegations abroad, including the 1988 Conference in Rome. He led the effort to train the staff of the African Development Bank in renewable energy technology; and he was a member of a National Science Foundation advisory team sent to assist the Romanian Government. He has represented the United States Government in Uganda, Botswana, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Mozambique and made presentations at several US/African Ministerial Conference.
Stewart is the recipient of some of the US DOE's highest awards, including the Pride Award, the Meritorious Service Award, the Distinguished Career Service Award, and the Secretary of Energy's Gold Medal. He was honored by the Association of Energy Engineers as its Energy Executive of the Year; the National Association of State Energy Officials named him their Energy Advocate of the Year; and he has received similar honors from Fort Valley State University, Texas Southern University, and North Carolina A&T State University. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Advisors of the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technologies and a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policies and Technologies (NACEPT).
Stewart and his wife of 41 years, Regina Diane, have two adult daughters.
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