Forum to Examine Future of Hydrocarbon-Based Energy

DURHAM, N.C. -- Environmental leaders, corporate executives, government regulators and academics will gather at Duke University March 8-9 to discuss the future of hydrocarbon-based energy.

More than 250 people are expected to attend "Creating a Sustainable Energy Future: A Duke University Leadership Forum," sponsored by Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. The third annual leadership forum, which is open to the public, will take place at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center on Duke's West Campus.

The forum will focus on the U.S.'s dependence on hydrocarbons -- coal, petroleum and natural gas -- for 85 percent of its energy needs. Participants will explore the problems created by the country's reliance on hydrocarbons, including human health effects, environmental degradation and dwindling fuel supplies, and discuss regulatory and technology solutions.

"For too long, environmentalists and energy companies have been adversaries in any discussion about our consumption of energy," said Simon Rich, a retired energy company executive and chair of the Nicholas School's Board of Visitors. "By bringing these two groups together, along with government officials and university professors, we hope to end the polarization and begin an urgently needed dialogue on the subject."

Speakers include William Cavanaugh, CEO, Progress Energy; Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense; John Manzoni, chief executive for refining and marketing, British Petroleum; Kathleen McGinty, secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Joseph Stanislaw, president, Cambridge Energy Research Associates; Tom Tombrello, chair, Division of Physics, Math and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology; and Rhonda Zygocki, vice president, ChevronTexaco.

In all, the forum will draw 31 speakers from automotive and power companies, universities, think tanks, government agencies and companies involved in new energy technologies.

Speakers will consider whether current energy sources will be able to meet future demand, what factors motivate energy decisions, how the U.S. can continue to meet both energy and environmental needs, and what types of leadership will allow the U.S. to make a transition to a sustainable energy future.

"Not everyone will agree on the answers to these questions, but the goal is to emerge from the forum with a set of priorities to communicate to government and industry leaders and the public," Rich said.

After the conference, a summary report will be distributed to policymakers and news reporters.

Rich and a group of Nicholas School master's students are coordinating the forum. Major sponsors are AIG Environmental, Progress Energy, Tontine Associates, Wallace Genetic Foundation, Duke Power and SCANA Corp. Sponsors have provided funds to allow students from a dozen colleges and universities to attend the forum, and several events have been designed to allow the students to interact with the panelists.

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The forum's registration fee of $350 covers program sessions, meals and conference materials. A detailed program and registration form are available online at http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/energy.