VECAN Conference 2017

VECAN Conference 2017 - Mobilizing Leadership to Make Bold Progress

Conference Description: VECAN’s 10th Annual “Community Energy and Climate Action Conference” on December 2nd, 2017, was an inspiring day. Local energy leaders, business innovators, policymakers, and others for a day focused on Transforming Vermont’s Energy Future from the Ground Up. The one-day conference featured informative workshops on Transforming Our Transportation System, Helping More Low-Income Earners Participate in the Clean Energy Transition,The Economic Opportunities of Climate Action, and more.  The keynote speaker was Gina McCarthy, who served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama.

Keynote: Gina McCarthy has been a leading advocate for common-sense strategies to protect public health and the environment for more than 30 years, most recently serving as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama. At the EPA, Gina led historic progress to achieve the administration’s public health and environmental protection goals as well as its Climate Action Plan. In 2015, Gina signed the Clean Power Plan, which set the first-ever national standards for reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants, spurring international efforts that helped secure the Paris Climate Agreement. During her tenure, EPA initiatives cut air pollution, protected water resources, reduced greenhouse gases and strengthened chemical safety to better protect more Americans, especially the most vulnerable, from negative health impacts. Before joining EPA, she served five Massachusetts Democratic and Republican administrations and was Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Currently, she is serving as a Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.