Renewable Energy and the 108th Congress

							                Renewable Energy and the 108th Congress
                                    Friday, February 21, 2003
                     10:30 a.m. - Noon, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building

         The House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucuses, the Sustainable
Energy Coalition, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invite you to a Congressional
briefing on renewable energy technologies and their increasingly important role in the United States.
Renewable energy technologies offer significant economic development opportunities while providing
clean, safe, and secure energy that benefits our environment and improves public health. The briefing
will feature experts from each of the five major renewable energy technologies: Biomass, Geothermal,
Hydropower, Solar, and Wind. Panelists will provide an introduction to their renewable energy
technology as well as the relevant policy and budget issues coming before the 108th Congress.

Briefing Panel By Topic:

               Biomass - Katherine Hamilton, Co-Director, American Bioenergy Association
               Geothermal - Karl Gawell, Executive Director, Geothermal Energy Association
               Hydropower - Linda Ciocci, Executive Director, National Hydropower Association
               Solar - Glenn Hamer, Executive Director, Solar Energy Industries Association
               Wind - Jaime Steve, Legislative Director, American Wind Energy Association

         Energy policy will once again be at the forefront of the Congressional policy agenda this session,
and renewable energy technologies are poised to tackle many of the country’s energy concerns. At the
end of the 107th Congress, numerous questions regarding renewable energy policy were left unanswered.
Specifically, policies regarding a renewable portfolio standard, renewable energy production tax credits,
tax incentives for users, interconnection, and net metering will once again be debated in Congress. These
policies, the 2004 budget, and the renewable technologies for which they are applicable, will be outlined
in this briefing.

        While recent growth statistics prove impressive, renewable energy technologies still only account
for roughly 7.5% of US energy consumption. Increasing the utilization of renewable energy and realizing
the benefits that pollution-free and secure renewable energy can provide will depend upon increased
market support and consumer demand. Renewable energy resources are found across the United States,
and the federal government can play a key role in developing these resources for their economic,
environmental, and public health benefits.

         This briefing is open to the public and no reservations are required. For more information about
the briefing, please contact JR Drabick at EESI at 202-662-1886 or jrdrabick@eesi.org.