The Week Ahead (June 23-27)
June 20, 2008
10:12 AM
- On Wednesday, June 25, the full committee will examine the challenges to developing technologies that meet the needs of increased global energy demand, in the context of global climate change. Witnesses include Dr. Neil Hirst, director for energy technology and R&D, International Energy Agency, Paris; Dr. Ray Orbach, director, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy; Dr. Thomas Wilson, senior program manager, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA; Dr. Raymond Kopp, senior fellow, Resources for the Future; and Karan Bhatia, vice president, General Electric Co. (Dirksen 366 at 9:30 a.m.)
Bonus …
Today, Chairman Bingaman (D-NM) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) asked the Government Accountability Office to review the practice of mountaintop removal mining -- a technique used to mine coal in Appalachia which involves eliminating tops of mountains through blasting and massive equipment. The letter asks GAO to determine if the Department of the Interior is following necessary requirements and procedures as it revises its rules on this controversial practice. The senators ask GAO to look at whether a comprehensive evaluation is taking place before new regulations are finalized. They also note that they have “significant concerns with the proposed rule and the process leading to its publication,” adding that mountaintop removal mining “has far-reaching negative effects on local citizens and the environment.”
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