MORGANTOWN – The sixth annual National Energy Conference at West Virginia University, which was held Oct. 20, focused on adapting to changes in the energy industry, according to James Van Nostrand, a professor of law and the director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at WVU.
“Our conference this year was forward-looking, i.e., how to best position West Virginia to take advantage of the opportunities that will be created in the new energy economy,” Van Nostrand told The West Virginia Record. “We had speakers from government, industry, academic and environmental/public interest/conservation groups, which provided a balanced perspective on the issues.”
Specifically, Van Nostrand said speakers included representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, the WVU Energy Institute, environmental groups the Natural Resources Defense Council, WV Rivers, National Parks Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy and Canaan Valley Institute and renewable energy and energy efficiency advocates WV Solar United Neighbors, Solar Holler, Energy Efficient WV and American Jobs Project.
James Van Nostrand
Representatives were also on hand from environmental consulting group Downstream Strategies, industry participants Appalachian Power and the Center for Responsible Shale Development and WVU College of Law.
According to Van Nostrand, the focus of the conference at WVU differed from that of the governor’s energy summit, which occurred over the two days preceding WVU’s event.
“In our experience, state policymakers are reluctant to discuss policy changes that involve a transition away from the state’s historic reliance on the coal industry, or that consider the necessary role of environmental protection alongside the economic benefits of the extraction industry,” Van Nostrand said.
He said WVU’s conference “tackled those issues head-on” and examined policy recommendations for scaling up energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, as well as minimizing the environmental impact of shale gas development and the siting of natural gas pipelines.
Van Nostrand said WVU’s conference also looked at the economic opportunities created by carbon markets, “recognizing the value of West Virginia’s forests as ‘carbon sinks,’” in addition to developments in carbon capture and sequestration and the jobs that could be created in industrial energy efficiency.
Van Nostrand said this year’s conference, which was attended by about 100 people from throughout the state and the WVU academic community, was co-sponsored by the center and the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation.
