Hill Heat

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano will travel to Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, May 11, to inspect ongoing operations to minimize the Deepwater BP Oil Spill’s impact on public health, the environment and the economy—part of the federal government’s continued oversight and emphasis on interagency coordination in response to the spill.

During her visit, Secretary Napolitano will join Alabama Governor Bob Riley to tour the Mobile Incident Command Center, meet with federal, state and local officials to discuss the response effort and participate in a media availability.

Mobile Incident Command Center
1 Water Street
Mobile, Ala.

Review current issues related to offshore oil and gas development including the Department of the Interior’s recent five year planning announcements and the accident in the Gulf of Mexico involving the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon.

Rescheduled from May 6.

Witnesses

Panel 1

• Dr. F.E. Beck, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
• Bud Danenberger, Former Chief, Offshore Regulatory Program, Minerals Management Service

Panel 2

• Lamar McKay, President and Chairman, BP America, Inc.
• Steven Newman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Transocean Limited
• Tim Probert, President, Global Business Lines; Chief Health, Safety and Environmental Officer, Halliburton

A public hearing for the joint investigation will be held May 11-12, 2010 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CDT) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2829 Williams Blvd., Kenner, La.

The purpose of this joint investigation is to develop conclusions and recommendations as they relate to the Deepwater Horizon MODU explosion and loss of life on April 20, 2010. The facts collected at this hearing, along with the lead investigators’ conclusions and recommendations will be forwarded to Coast Guard Headquarters and MMS for approval. Once approved, the final investigative report will be made available to the public and the media. No analysis or conclusions will be presented during the hearing.

Witnesses

• Kevin Robb – Coast Guard Eighth District Search and Rescue Specialist
• Alwin Landry – Master M/V DAMON B. BANKSTON
• Anthony Gervaso – Engineer M/V DAMON B. BANKSTON
• Paul Erickson – Chief Mate M/V DAMON B. BANKSTON
• Frank Patton – MMS Permitting
• Eric Neal – MMS Inspector
• Bob Neal – MMS Inspector

Streaming on http://live.cnn.com

With Congressman Ed Markey.

Advanced Electron Beams | Alcatel-Lucent | AT&T | BetterWorld Telcom | CEA – Consumer Electronics Association | Clean Economy Network | Control4 | CTIA – The Wireless Association | DAK Renewable Energy | Ericsson | General Compression | Motorola | OPOWER | Panasonic | Solazyme | Southwest Wind Power | Sprint | Standard Solar, Inc. | T-Mobile

RSVP Lexie Briggs | [email protected] | (202) 380-1941

Featured Author: Joseph Romm, author, Straight Up; Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund

Moderated by: John Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for American Progress Action Fund

There could not be a better time for Joseph Romm, acclaimed climate blogger and former acting assistant secretary of energy during the Clinton administration, to release his new book, Straight Up: America’s Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on the Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions.

As we approach the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the scientific realities about the warming of our world are becoming increasingly dire, an epic legislative battle looms in the Senate over whether the United States will be part of the solution or perpetuate the problem, and the mainstream media—hemorrhaging qualified science and environmental reporters—is paralyzed and unable to effectively inform a public that increasing seeks out information from online sources and the ever-expanding blogosphere.

Amid this backdrop, please join Dr. Joseph Romm in conversation with Center for American Progress Action Fund President and CEO John Podesta as they take on the science, the politics, the solutions, and the media. Copies of Straight Up will be available for purchase at the event.

Admission is free.

However, space is extremely limited. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed.

RSVP required. RSVP to attend this event: 202-682-1611

Center for American Progress Action Fund
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

In a corporate statement released today, coal company Massey Energy criticized President Barack Obama for saying that “owners responsible for conditions in the Upper Big Branch mine should be held accountable for decisions they made and preventive measures they failed to take.” Massey called the President’s remarks “regrettable,” and say that Mr. Obama “has been misinformed.”

Today’s statements by the White House about the Upper Big Branch tragedy are regrettable. We fear that the President has been misinformed about our record and the mining industry in general.

As to our record, we note that in 2009, under this administration, MSHA presented Massey Energy with three “Sentinels of Safety” Awards – the highest number of such awards ever received by one company in a single year.

There has been criticism regarding the backlog of violations that have been appealed. There have been violations at Upper Big Branch that the Company does not agree with and a number of those violations have been appealed. The percentage of violations appealed at UBB and Massey is similar to that for the industry as a whole.

The enormous backlog of appeals waiting to be heard has been frustrating to all involved. We urge Congress to appropriate the funds necessary to enable this system to work better by helping government regulators to resolve the enormous backlog at MSHA. Regardless of the backlog, however, it’s important to understand that all violations must be fixed and are fixed to the satisfaction of state and federal agencies before mines are allowed to continue operating. Most violations are fixed the same day they are discovered.

Massey believes in safety, accountability and responsibility. We seek the truth in the ongoing investigations and are cooperating with federal and state agencies to determine the cause of the tragic accident at Upper Big Branch Mine. Unfortunately, some are rushing to judgment for political gain or to avoid blame. Our goal is to communicate transparently as the facts unfold.

Today, President Barack Obama discussed the initial findings of an investigation by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Mine Safety and Health Administration chief Joe Main, and MSHA Administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health Kevin Stricklin:

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. On April 5th, the United States suffered the worst mine disaster in more than a generation. Twenty-nine lives were lost. Families have been devastated. Communities have been upended. And during this painful time, all of us are mourning with the people of Montcoal and Whitesville and Naoma and the Coal River Valley. The people of West Virginia are in our prayers.

But we owe them more than prayers. We owe them action. We owe them accountability. We owe them an assurance that when they go to work every day, when they enter that dark mine, they are not alone. They ought to know that behind them there is a company that’s doing what it takes to protect them, and a government that is looking out for their safety.

In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, I asked the officials standing with me – Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, and Joe Main and Kevin Stricklin with the Mine Safety and Health Administration – to lead an investigation into what caused the explosion at Massey Energy Company’s Upper Big Branch mine. I asked them to report back with preliminary findings this week.

We just concluded a meeting, where they briefed me on their investigation. I want to emphasize that this investigation is ongoing, and there’s still a lot that we don’t know. But we do know that this tragedy was triggered by a failure at the Upper Big Branch mine—a failure first and foremost of management, but also a failure of oversight and a failure of laws so riddled with loopholes that they allow unsafe conditions to continue.

So today I’ve directed Secretary Solis, Assistant Secretary Main, and Administrator Stricklin to work closely with state mining officials to press ahead with this investigation—so we can help make sure a disaster like this never happens again. Owners responsible for conditions in the Upper Big Branch mine should be held accountable for decisions they made and preventive measures they failed to take. And I’ve asked Secretary Solis to work with the Justice Department to ensure that every tool in the federal government is available in this investigation.

But this isn’t just about a single mine. It’s about all of our mines. The safety record at the Massey Upper Big Branch mine was troubling. And it’s clear that while there are many responsible companies, far too many mines aren’t doing enough to protect their workers’ safety.

In April 2010, Climate Wise Women from the South Pacific Islands, Uganda and Biloxi, Mississippi will begin a 30-city, 18-country speaking tour in the Americas. These community activists can’t wait for politicians and governmental negotiators to get it right on climate change. They want straight talk on what climate change is doing to women, children, families and communities around the world. The tour continues to Asia / the Pacific in Fall 2010 and to Europe in Spring 2011.

Panelists

• Keya Chatterjee, World Wildlife Foundation
• Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones
• Kari Manlove, Center for American Progress
• Tonya Rawe, CARE
• Gina Wimp, Georgetown University

Georgetown
Reiss Science Bldg Rm 112 6-8:00pm

In April 2010, Climate Wise Women from the South Pacific Islands, Uganda and Biloxi, Mississippi will begin a 30-city, 18-country speaking tour in the Americas. These community activists can’t wait for politicians and governmental negotiators to get it right on climate change. They want straight talk on what climate change is doing to women, children, families and communities around the world. The tour continues to Asia / the Pacific in Fall 2010 and to Europe in Spring 2011.

Panelists

• Majora Carter, Majora Carter Group
• Elizabeth Becker, Author/Journalist
• Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network

Johns Hopkins
1717 Mass. Ave NW Rm LL7

A lively discussion moderated by Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones will take place from 5:30-6:30 followed by a cocktail reception at Helix Lounge featuring drink and food specials.

RSVP

Panelists:

• Sacha Cohen is President of grassfed media, an integrated communications firm that helps green companies create compelling content, marketing materials, and social media campaigns. She is also the founder of GoingGreenDC.net.
• Jennifer Kaplan is adjunct faculty in Marketing at Marymount University, blogger for Ecopreneurist.com, and author of the new book,Greening Your Small Business.
• Diane MacEachern is a communications professional, speaker and accomplished writer. Diane is passionate about empowering consumers — especially women — to use their marketplace clout to protect the environment. Diane is the author of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.
• Lynn Miller is a green marketing consultant and founder of Organicmania.com, a blog “devoted to cutting through the hype andfiguring out when it makes sense to lay out the big bucks for organic and green purchases. Lynn also tweets with a business focus at @4GreenPs.
• Adam Shake is Editor-in-Chief of Simple Earth Media and founder of Twilight Earth and EcoTech Daily. He is an environmental writer, advocate, entrepreneur, speaker and Washington DC-based activist. Adam is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, and an active participant in a number of environmental and social media clubs and organizations.

Moderator:

Kate Sheppard is an environmental reporter and blogger at Mother Jones. Kate’s inside the beltway muckraking on the energy industry and the Chamber of Commerce make her a must follow for anyone interested in the business and politics of green and greenwashing.

Helix Lounge
Hotel Helix
1430 Rhode Island Ave NW