AAEA Officially Joins Energy & Climate Change Coalition

Frank Stewart, Norris McDonald, David Owens
AAEA has joined the Energy and Climate Change Coalition (ECC Coalition), which addresses the issues in its name. The ECC Coalition was formed as a result of the "Energy and Climate Change: Implications and Economic Opportunities" (the Summit) forum. The Summit attracted over 100 attendees, including the leadership of the leading minority associations, think tanks, civil rights organizations, non-profits and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) active in the energy and climate areas. It was held on January 28, 2010 at the Heritage Center of the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. AAEA was a stakeholder panel participant at the summit and is a founding member of the ECC.

The purpose of the Summit was:

To provide a credible voice for people of color on the issues of energy and climate change policy. This educational Summit will focus on economic opportunities and impacts to vulnerable populations, providing a valuable dialogue leading to a set of principles to be presented to key policy officials in Congress & pertinent government agencies, including the Executive Branch.

The ECC Coalition adopted a Statement of Principles:

We believe that any energy and climate program must include:

 Measures to reduce and mitigate the impact of costs on low- and fixed-income consumers;

 Policies that create jobs and ensure small business opportunities for minorities in the energy and clean technology sectors, including federal and state incentives and requirements to promote diversity in hiring, procurement, contracting and access to capital.

 Education and training programs to prepare minorities for careers and business ownership in the array of services and technologies necessary to develop and deliver cleaner, more diverse, domestic energy sources.

 Public awareness and outreach initiatives aimed at developing energy efficiency and conservation programs for minority and low- and fixed-income communities, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

 Resources and incentives for vulnerable communities to help them adapt to climate change impacts and transition to lower-carbon economies, while ensuring environmental justice protections.

The "Report from the AABE Energy and Climate Change Summit: Implications and Economic Opportunities," represents the comments and discussions of the participants at the summit.