Students Lead Clean Energy Discussion Through 'Power Dialog'

The goals of the Power Dialog include promoting state-level action to help meet the U.S. climate commitment of a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 29, 2016) -- Students at the University at Albany and Albany Law School are leading efforts to promote clean energy in New York. The institutions will co-host the New York State edition of the "Power Dialog" on April 4 and 5, with the goal of promoting state-level action to help meet the U.S. climate commitment of a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

The Power Dialog, a national project conceived by the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, is designed to raise awareness about the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan and create opportunities for conversations between students and government leaders regarding its implementation at the state level.

During the first week of April, thousands of students will meet with top officials in more than 30 states on the critical issue of how states can achieve the U.S. can achieve its clean energy goals. The Power Dialog gives students a voice in important decision making that will determine both their future and the future of the planet.

The New York State Power Dialog begins on Monday, April 4 with an evening seminar to be held at Albany Law School. Michael Myers of the New York State Attorney General’s Office and Michael Burger from the Columbia Law School Sabin Center for Climate Change Law will present The Clean Power Plan in the courts: The status of the litigation, the role of the Supreme Court, and the impact of the Paris Agreement. The program will be followed by a reception in the Albany Law School gymnasium.

On Tuesday, April 5, UAlbany will host a day-long series of events in the Campus Center Ballroom on its Uptown Campus, including a poster session of student work, six student-run workshops, a reception, and an evening discussion with special guests Richard Kauffman, Chair of Energy and Finance for New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Jared Snyder, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Air Resources, Climate Change and Energy, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

UAlbany’s Office of Environmental Sustainability and the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy have been involved in the planning and education on the issue of clean energy. Adjunct Professor Eleanor Stein, a former administrative law judge with the New York State Public Service Commission, has been teaching a course devoted to the topic at Rockefeller College. Her students have partnered with students in Director of Environmental Sustainability Mary Ellen Mallia's course on environmental economics to develop workshops and posters for April 5.

Students from throughout New York are anticipated to take part in the “Power Dialog,” including those from Syracuse University, Colgate University, Union College, Skidmore College, Bard, SUNY Plattsburgh, RPI, Clarkson University, Iona College, and the Sage Colleges.

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