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
Tom Kuhn
Biography provided by participant
Tom Kuhn is president of the Edison Electric Institute, the association of investor-owned electric companies whose members represent about 70 percent of the nation's electric power sector. EEI also has a growing affiliate membership of utilities worldwide. Kuhn joined the Institute in 1985 as executive vice president, was named chief operating officer in 1988, and became president in 1990.
As one of Washington's most prominent voices on energy policy, Kuhn has helped guide the electric utility industry's advocacy for nearly two decades, a period of tremendous change that has included major national debates over electricity deregulation, air quality and global climate change.
Prior to joining the Institute, Kuhn was president of the American Nuclear Energy Council, which subsequently merged with the Nuclear Energy Institute. He joined the Council in 1975 as vice president of government affairs and became president in 1983. From 1972 to 1975, he headed the energy section of the investment banking firm, Alex Brown and Sons. From 1970 to 1972, Kuhn was White House Liaison Officer to the Secretary of the Navy.
Kuhn received a BA in Economics from Yale University in 1968. He served as a Naval Officer following his graduation and completed a Masters in Business Administration in 1972 from George Washington University. He completed the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Senior Executive Program in 1989.
Kuhn serves on the Boards of Directors of numerous organizations, including the United States Energy Association, the Alliance to Save Energy, the Electric Drive Transportation Association, and the American Council for Capital Formation. He is Chairman of the Committee of 100 of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, Chairman-Emeritus of the American Society of Association Executives, and past Chairman of ASAE's Key Industry Association Committee and of the Trade Association Liaison Council. He also has served on the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board and the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Recent Responses