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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Roger Platt
Biography provided by participant
As Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Law, Roger Platt is responsible for managing policy and legal aspects related to the increasingly global adoption of the LEED green building certification program. Platt's role includes managing an international portfolio of policy development relationships, including the World Green Building Council Policy Committee and the United Nations Environment Programme, among others, supporting policy initiatives in countries where LEED is becoming the dominant rating system tool for delivering high performance buildings.
Platt also oversees USGBC's proactive engagement in U.S. Policy and legislation development among federal and state agencies, on the Hill, in state capitals, city halls and county commissions across the country, as well as through the alliances USGBC has forged with other NGOs and public-private initiatives. This includes advancing USGBC's views to these constituencies on the benefits of green schools, green affordable housing, sustainable communities, and mitigating the impact of buildings on climate change.
Platt joined USGBC after 15 years as senior vice president and counsel with the Real Estate Roundtable, which represents the leaders of America's top public and privately owned real estate entities on public environmental and non-profit organizations to advance responsible public policy.
Before joining the Real Estate Roundtable, he was a consultant to President Clinton's then newly formed Corporation for National and Community Service. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is a member of the California and District of Columbia bar associations and a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), where he chaired the ULI sustainable Development Council form 2001-2004, and current serves as assistant chair of the ULI Responsible Property Investment Council.
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