A National Discussion about America’s Energy Future
Karen Alderman Harbert, Tuesday, October 19, 2010
12-1:15pm, Hamburg Hall 1000
Karen Alderman Harbert is President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy
Pizza lunch sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century EnergyPlease RSVP to: http://tinyurl.com/Harbert-Energy
Karen Alderman Harbert, President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy, will be presenting at the Heinz College as part of the Energy Reality Tour, A National Discussion about America’s Energy Future is an effort to build support for comprehensive action to solve our energy challenges that encompasses nearly 30 states.
She will discuss the need for a comprehensive energy strategy that takes advantage of all resources will be needed to meet growing energy needs in Pennsylvania and across the nation. Policymakers must consider the long-term consequences of action—and inaction—on energy policy. America is in need of more sources of energy, more energy infrastructure, and more jobs. From the fallout from the oil spill in the Gulf to proposed EPA regulations on carbon dioxide emissions, it is critical that the policy decisions made today do not hamper our ability to address our energy challenges tomorrow. She will outline the Institute’s comprehensive energy plan, which includes diversifying America’s energy supply, improving energy efficiency, modernizing and protecting our energy infrastructure, and promoting environmental stewardship. The plan is available at http://energyxxi.org/pages/reports.aspx
She will discuss the Institute’s first-of-its kind Index of U.S. Energy Security, which provides a quantifiable measurement of America’s energy security from 1970-2030. The 37 individual components used to calculate the Index are based in four primary areas—geopolitical, economic, reliability and environmental. Following the Gulf oil spill, the Index serves as a timely reminder of how complex America’s energy infrastructure is as well as how past energy policies-or lack thereof-have left the U.S. energy system vulnerable. The Index will be a valuable tool for policymakers and the public to learn lessons from our past and plan for the future.
The mission of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy is to unify policymakers, regulators, business leaders, and the American public behind a common sense energy strategy to help keep America secure, prosperous, and clean. Through policy development, education, and advocacy, the Institute is building support for meaningful action at the local, state, national, and international levels.
The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.
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Karen Harbert Bio:
Karen Alderman Harbert is president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy (Institute). In this capacity, Harbert leads the Institute’s efforts to build support for meaningful energy action nationally and internationally through policy development, education, and advocacy.
Under Harbert’s leadership, the Energy Institute has evolved into a premier national and increasingly international organization truly dedicated to advancing a constructive energy agenda and transforming the energy and environmental debate into a widely supported plan of action.
At the Institute, she was instrumental in formulating 88 specific policy recommendations that were presented to President Obama and the members of the 111th Congress. Harbert frequently testifies in front of Congress and provides analysis to the media, policymakers and industry leaders.
Harbert is the former assistant secretary for policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). She was the primary policy advisor to the Secretary and to the department on domestic and international energy issues, including climate change, fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Harbert was also a member of DOE’s Executive Board as well as the Credit Review Board. She negotiated and managed bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries and international agencies to further the nation’s energy security and research and development objectives. She was vice chairman of the International Energy Agency which advises its 27 member nations on energy policy issues and orchestrates international responses to energy supply disruptions.
Harbert was the deputy assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She had oversight of programs in 11 countries, totaling more than $800 million and 1,000 employees.
In the private sector, Harbert worked for a developer of international infrastructure and power projects valued at more than $9 billion in countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Harbert gained experience on issues associated with economic reform and privatization through earlier positions at the USAID, the Organization of American States, and the International Republican Institute.
Harbert received a degree in international policy studies and political science from Rice University in Houston, Texas. She is active in numerous international policy forums and resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two children.
Please RSVP to: http://tinyurl.com/Harbert-Energy.