By Buzz McClain
Sen. Tim Kaine will give the keynote address at the 12th spring conference hosted by George Mason University’s Center for Global Studies and the Center for Energy, Science and Policy. Photo by Will Martinez.
As governor of Virginia, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was proactive in the creation of the state’s first comprehensive energy plan. As a senator, he continues to advocate for increased offshore wind energy in partnership with Delaware and Maryland.
Kaine will deliver the keynote address opening night at “Global Energy Policy: Transition and Transformation,” the 12th spring conference hosted by George Mason University’s Center for Global Studies and the Center for Energy, Science and Policy.
The two-day conference takes place Tuesday, April 21, at Mason’s Arlington Campus and Wednesday, April 22, at Johns Hopkins’ Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Kaine is an outspoken supporter of other energy opportunities for the commonwealth, including the exploration of hydrocarbon resources off the coast of Virginia, as well as the promotion of advanced clean coal technology research and investment.
Public policy scholar Jan H. Kalicki will deliver the keynote speech on Wednesday. Kalicki, public policy fellow and Energy Lead at the Woodrow Wilson Center, is chairman of the Eurasia Foundation and is an expert in energy security. He will speak about the intersection of global, U.S. and European Union energy politics from the perspectives of government, academic and private sectors.
“The goal of the conference is to explore important aspects of global energy policy, which is changing rapidly due to new technologies and shifting political preferences,” says Desmond Dinan, a professor of European public policy at Mason’s School of Policy, Government and International Affairs and director of the Center for Global Studies.
“Energy policy, and its impact on climate change, is an area of great interest to Mason faculty across a range of disciplines and academic units,” he says. “The conference aims in part to showcase Mason’s expertise in this area and stimulate further research and teaching on energy and climate issues.”
The conference opens Tuesday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. at Mason’s Founders Hall Auditorium with a panel discussion, “Local and Global: Energy Policy in Virginia.”
On Wednesday at Johns Hopkins SAIS, the 9 a.m. panel is called “Setting the Agenda: Who Leads on Global Energy Policy?” followed at 11 a.m. with “US-EU Convergence and Divergence: The Energy Equation.”
Following Kaicki’s keynote at 2 p.m., a panel will address “US-EU Energy and Climate Policies.”
The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged at this site.