EnergyBiz Leadership Forum Wrap-Up
Day 1: SESSION ONE
The Consumers' View
It is a perfect storm. Energy demand is poised to climb steeply once the economy rebounds. Industry executives worry about whether there will be enough power to keep the lights on. Meanwhile, the government is getting ready to embrace the most sweeping environmental regulations ever as it zeroes in on global warming. This session you will hear speakers discuss whether consumers and business will be whipsawed as these grand themes play out, who will protect them, and how will they do so.
- John Anderson, President and CEO,
Electric Consumers Resource Council
- Kim Saylors-Laster, Vice President, Energy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
- David Springe, President, National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, Consumer Counsel, Citizen’s Utility Ratepayer Board of Kansas
- Barry Worthington, Executive Director, United States Energy Association
Today’s Reality, Tomorrow’s Vision
It is inevitable. Energy consumption will continue to grow. Will there be enough power? Will there be enough transmission? At what cost? How will we deal with global warming and greenhouse gas emissions? State and federal regulators and lawmakers will play an instrumental role in addressing these problems. Our next panel of speakers will help us drill down into today’s energy reality – from the government perspective. You will also hear about what policies are being considered at the state and federal level to bring on a new energy economy.
The Consumers' View
John Anderson
President and CEO
Electric Consumers Resource Council
Even before the economy crashed, manufacturers were losing sales and cutting jobs. Now we have a new Administration and a Congress with an overwhelming Democratic majority that are putting energy and environmental issues on the front burner. Consumers face significant challenges -- and opportunities. Wind is a great resource, but it often is very expensive and brings with it significant operating difficulties. While cost-effective energy efficiency is a tremendous resource and most certainly should be encouraged, it may cost consumers a whole lot while it provides only questionable benefits. A smart grid may be a really good idea, but it will be very expensive up front and at best may not produce real results for many years. And controlling green house gases may be critical,but it may be very costly to electricity consumers. Most certainly, the proposed initiatives have the potential to create new industries and jobs, they will more than likely result in the loss of other industrial jobs. I simply would like to know it the net "gain" is positive or negative and of what magnitude.
Click Here to view pdf slides from this presentation.
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Kim Saylors-Laster,
Vice President, Energy
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Kim Saylors-Laster discusses how Wal-Mart's mission to save people money so they can live better goes hand-in-hand with its efforts to build a more sustainable company. By bringing sustainability into every part of its business, Wal-Mart is advancing toward its goals to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero waste and sell environmentally-friendly products. Through this approach, Wal-Mart continues its legacy of energy efficient installations in its stores which thereby reduce its carbon footprint on a per-store basis.
To help reach its energy efficient goals, Wal-Mart looks for ways to incorporate renewable energy into its operations worldwide that help save costs that are passed on to the customer. To this end, the company is currently powering stores in California and Hawaii with solar power that can provide up to 30 percent of the power for the store on which it is installed. Wal-Mart has also announced a major purchase of wind power that will be used to supply up to 15 percent of its total energy load in approximately 360 Texas stores and other facilities. Wal-Mart is committed to energy efficiency through partnerships, by sharing best practices and by testing new technologies and innovations which complement sound policy measures that support the development of clean energy.
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David Springe
President
National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates
Consumer Counsel
Citizen’s Utility Ratepayer Board of Kansas
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Today’s Reality, Tomorrow’s Vision
Rick Morgan
Commissioner
District of Columbia Public Service Commission
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