E2 Pacific Northwest welcomed NRDC President Frances Beinecke to Sazerac at Seattle's Hotel Monaco for a breakfast on September 27.  E2 Pacific Northwest Chapter Directors Mark Liffmann, Scott Elliot, Van Katzman, and Mike Orr were honored to have the opportunity to share Northwest's viewpoints and listen and learn from one of the most effective environmental leaders on the planet.

On Monday, October 17, a half dozen Pacific Northwest E2 members joined NRDC Energy Program Attorney, Noah Long, for an intimate lunch in Seattle. The event was hosted by Beacon Law Advisors, a boutique corporate, securities and technology firm, where Chapter Director Van Katzman is a Principal. In addition to enjoying beautiful views of Elliot Bay on Puget Sound on one of Seattle's rare clear fall days, E2 members were briefed on a number of energy policy issues that NRDC is currently working on, including renewable siting in the west, the status of electric rate decoupling and California Governor Brown's distributed generation plan.

The discussion also touched on a local opportunity regarding electric car integration: the Seattle metropolitan area is one of five cities getting 2,500 charging stations under a recent federal program. "This is the type of event, with deep and relevant policy content directly applicable to our businesses, that only E2 can produce. We are very lucky to have the great team at NRDC to draw upon for regular policy briefings for our members," said Mark Liffmann, E2 Pacific Northwest Chapter Director.

Coming November 15th:  E2 joins the Oregon Environmental Council in sponsoring a focus meeting on "Clean and Local Fuels for a Strong Northwest Economy." Prompted by the observation that the importing of foreign oil accounts for more than half the total US trade deficit, with more than five billion dollars annually flowing out to purchase dirty fuels in Oregon alone, this event will explore the Northwest's leadership in responding with positive action: biofuels, natural gas, electric vehicles, and policy. Presenters will include representatives of Oregon's state government and the clean tech industry. The event will be kicked off with a facility tour led by Tyson Keever of SeQuential Biodiesel.

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