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.'"
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Rodger Schlickeisen
Biography provided by participant
Rodger Schlickeisen has been President of Defenders of Wildlife since 1991. Under his leadership, Defenders has grown from 62,000 members and activists to more than 1,000,000 and is recognized as one of the nation's prominent conservation advocacy organizations.
Prior to joining Defenders, Rodger was CEO of Craver, Mathews, Smith & Company, a leading consulting firm for progressive advocacy organizations. He also served in the Carter White House as Associate Director of the U.S. Office of Management & Budget, and as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Max Baucus.
Schlickeisen is also President of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, a political non-profit that works to elect a pro-conservation Congress and White House, and to advance conservation programs and policies. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of the national League of Conservation Voters. He was the founding chair of the nonprofit Partnership Project, established to help build a more unified and potent national environmental movement. He also serves on the advisory committees of the Earth Communications Organization and the Environmental Media Association.
Schlickeisen holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington, an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a doctorate in finance from George Washington University. He is the author of numerous published opinion pieces and articles, including an influential law review article on the need for a constitutional amendment to protect the natural environment for future generations.
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