Past Event
Forum

America’s Energy Future: New Solutions to Fuel Economic Growth and Prosperity

Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Energy & Climate

The recent climb in gasoline prices to $4 per gallon is the latest headwind facing the U.S. economy. In addition to this threat to economic growth, America’s current energy system poses long-term threats to national security, health, and the environment. The Hamilton Project hosted a forum on America’s energy future, focusing on strategies to give all energy sources equal footing in the marketplace and expand America’s opportunities to utilize cleaner, low-cost sources of energy.

A panel of economic experts, moderated by Hamilton Project Director and Brookings Senior Fellow Michael Greenstone, presented three new proposals to improve the regulations governing energy consumption and environmental quality, create a new clean energy standard, and improve the federal government’s efforts to deploy new energy technologies. The Hamilton Project also released a new paper outlining principles to help level the playing field for all energy sources — moving away from a system that favors energy sources with low prices at the pump but higher costs to society through health impacts and our ongoing reliance on foreign oil.

A second panel, moderated by former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, discussed the future of energy and climate change policy in the United States. Participants included Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers; Farallon Capital Management Founder Tom Steyer, co-chair of Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs; The Nature Conservancy President and CEO Mark Tercek; and former U.S. Senator John Warner (R-Va), currently an adviser to the Pew Project on National Security, Energy, and Climate. Following each panel, the participants took questions from the audience.

The forum concluded with keynote remarks by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on “Bipartisan Solutions to America’s Energy Challenges.”

Agenda

Welcome

Roger Altman
Founder and Chairman, Evercore Partners

Panel Discussion: New Policies for a Cleaner Economy

Moderator: Michael Greenstone
Director, The Hamilton Project

Joseph E. Aldy
Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

John M. Deutch
Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Distinguished Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Ted Gayer
Co-Director, Economic Studies

Panel Discussion: The Future of Energy and Climate Change Policy

Moderator: Robert E. Rubin
Co-Chair, Council on Foreign Relations
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary

James E. Rogers
Chairman, President, and CEO, Duke Energy

Thomas F. Steyer
Senior Managing Member, Farallon Capital Management L.L.C.
Co-Chair, Californians for Clean Energy and Jobs

Mark Tercek
President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy

The Honorable John Warner
Senior Advisor, Hogan Lovells LLP
Advisor, Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate

Keynote Remarks: Bipartisan Solutions to America’s Energy Challenges

The Honorable Maria Cantwell (D- Wash.)
U.S. Senate