ENERGY LEADERS LOOK FOR CLEANER AIR THROUGH MORE EFFICIENT CHOICES
October 9, 2006 - Energy experts and officials will focus on clean air and clean energy at a conference October 10-13.
Houston mayor Bill White will speak at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 12. Oct. 11, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels will welcome conference participants at 8:30 a.m., followed by Ron Sims, county executive of King County Washington, who will deliver the keynote speech. As executive, Sims is charged with overseeing the 13th largest county in the nation. King County includes the city of Seattle, and with an overall population of 1.8 million, King County is home to about 30 percent of Washington state's population and alone accounts for more than 40 percent of the state's jobs. The county government has a workforce of over 13,000 and an annual budget of $3.1 billion.
The Energy Systems Laboratory of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will host "Air Quality 2006: Energy Leadership and Emissions Reduction Conference and Exhibit -- Creating a Clean Energy City," at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel.
The forum is unique in its integration of energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies into planning for cleaner air, conference organizers said. The target audience includes policy makers, business leaders and development and design professionals who have interest in improving air quality.
Discussion topics Oct. 11-12 will include leadership views of state and local plans for improving air quality and expert panels in three broad tracks: building energy efficiency and renewable energy; efficient land use and transportation; and high-leverage energy systems in urban infrastructure. A special session on Thursday (Oct. 12) morning will highlight policy research findings of the Texas Environmental Research consortium including analyses of the Texas Emission Reduction Program (TERP) and the Low Income Repair and Assistance Program; air pollutants in school bus cabins; and calculating emissions reductions from renewable energy sources.
Commissioner Larry Soward of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will speak at an awards luncheon Oct. 12. At the luncheon, conference organizers will recognize leadership activities in increasing attention to air quality problems, fostering cooperation in solutions and advancing the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy in the built environment.
"Our goal is to increase participation in cost-effective solutions," said Dr. Dan Turner, director of the TEES Energy Systems Laboratory. "This conference is about expanding a network of collaborative resources available to communities and decision-makers committed to clean air."
Workshops on Tuesday (Oct. 10) and Friday (Oct. 13) will include commercial energy code training and an introduction to combined heat and power in commercial and public projects.
The workshops, conference sessions and exhibits will provide participants with timely ideas, useful information and opportunities to network with peers, policy leaders and the growing number of citizens interested in being part of sustainable solutions.
There is a fee for the conference and workshops. The exhibits of energy efficiency technologies and services on Oct. 11 and 12 are free and open to the public. Additional information is available at the conference Web site at http://airquality2006.tamu.edu. Contact Angie Shafer at 979.458.0675 or angieshafer@tees.tamus.edu for more information or assistance.
The Texas Engineering Experiment Station is the engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System.
