Oct 23, 2000


Columbia Conference Addresses International Energy Policy and Environmental Issues

Featured Speakers Include Deputy Energy Secretary T.J. Glauthier and Ambassador John Wolf

Abigail Beshkin

Secretary T.J. Glauthier

Columbia University will gather a high-level panel of government energy policy-makers and corporate oil executives for a forum on energy policy this Tuesday, October 24. Participants will include Deputy Energy Secretary T.J. Glauthier; Ambassador John Wolf, special advisor to the president and secretary of state for Caspian Basin energy diplomacy, and Robert C. McNally, Jr., economic and energy policy advisor to the Bush/Cheney campaign. The program begins at 9 a.m. at the International Affairs Building, 15th Floor, 420 West 118th St. at Amsterdam Avenue.

These energy policy specialists gather at a time of much ongoing public discussion about energy: the price of heating oil is expected to rise 25 percent this year and one of the coldest winters in recent history has been predicted for the Northeast. Additionally, the crisis in the Middle East threatens to upset oil supplies, raise prices and perhaps trigger an economic downturn. Throughout the day, panelists will discuss strategies to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil; environmental policy, and foreign policy, particularly as it relates to Caspian energy development and transportation.

Sponsored by Columbia's new Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy, the conference will feature presentations by Wolf, who will speak on "East-West Energy Corridor: Steps Forward;" Robert C. McNally, Jr., economic and energy policy advisor to the Bush/Cheney campaign, who will discuss "U.S. Energy Policy Priorities ‹ the Republican Perspective," and Marc Levy, associate director for science applications at the Columbia University Earth Institute, who will speak on "U.S. Energy and Environmental Policy Options After Kyoto."

A roundtable discussion will follow, moderated by Michael Crow, Columbia executive vice provost. It will feature Kenneth Cohen, vice president for public affairs for the Exxon Mobil Corporation; John H. Lichtblau, chairman of the PIRA Energy Group; Adam Sieminski, director of Duetsche Banc Alex Brown; Peter Sinnott, Columbia professor and coordinator of the Columbia Caspian Project, and David Wells, reporter for Bloomberg News.

The conference will celebrate the launch of SIPA's new Energy Center, which opened last month thanks to a grant from the Exxon Mobil Corporation and the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation. The Center will offer a new concentration to SIPA students, allowing candidates for both the masters of international affairs and the masters in public administration to specialize in international energy management and policy. The Center will also serve as a new resource for energy professionals, scholars and media analysts seeking independent viewpoints on issues in the energy and marine transportation industries.