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
Jackie Roberts
Biography provided by participant
Jackie Roberts is the Director of Sustainable Technologies at Environmental Defense Fund and a national expert on businesses strategy related to environmental challenges. Her current research focuses on clean energy jobs, emerging business opportunities in the green economy, especially related to climate solutions, as well as strategies for reducing carbon emissions. Her research addresses how the combination of new business opportunities and the availability of technologies to reduce energy use may result in an enhanced competitive position for many companies, but more generally offsets any potential business impacts of a transition to a low carbon economy. Previously, she launched and led the Corporate Partners Program where EDF's team pioneered partnering with companies to show how to deliver environmental results, benefit businesses and change industries. She crafted partnerships with Fortune 500 companies such as UPS, FedEx, McDonald's and Starbucks to develop innovative approaches to reducing their environmental impacts. She also conducted research and led advocacy efforts to improve environmental management more generally in the corporate sector.
Ms. Roberts holds B.S. in Chemical Engineering (1984) from Yale University, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and a Masters in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
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