Bill Ritter | A new energy economy in America
Channel: Stanford ENERGY
Date: 05/12/2014

"A new energy economy in America"
Bill Ritter, director, Center for the New Energy Economy, COlorado State University; former governor of Colorado 
Energy Seminar - December 1, 2014

Inaction on clean energy and climate by the U.S. Congress has not only forced action by the states but also leadership in this area from the executive agencies of the Federal Government. The governor will discuss the Center for the New Energy Economy’s Powering Forward project which outlines over 200 recommendations to the Obama Administration for executive action in energy efficiency, renewable energy finance, responsible natural gas development, utility business models and sustainable transportation.

Finally, Governor Ritter will discuss implications on Western energy policy from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed Rule released in June that would require a 30% reduction of CO2 emissions against a 2005 baseline from existing electric power plants by 2030.

This mini-series on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed new carbon emissions reduction rule for powerplants - 111(d) of the Clean Air Act - will bring in top experts from around the country to share their perspectives on the proposed rule. The mini-series will explore the factual and policy basis for the proposed rule, its implications on the environment, the economy, and clean energy development, and challenges and strategies for implementation. Colorado's former Governor, Bill Ritter, will kick off the three-part series with a presentation on the proposed rule focusing on Western states.

Bio:
Bill Ritter, Jr. is the founder and director of the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University which launched on February 1, 2011. The Center employs an assistant director, three senior policy advisors, an executive assistant and a team of student researchers.

The Center works directly with governors, legislators, regulators, planners, policymakers, and other decision makers. It provides technical assistance to help officials create the policies and practices that will facilitate America’s transition to a clean-energy economy.

Ritter was elected as Colorado's 41st governor in 2006, and built consensus to tackle some of the state's biggest challenges. During his four-year term, Ritter established Colorado as a national and international leader in clean energy, by building a new energy economy. He signed 57 new energy bills into law, including a 30% Renewable Portfolio Standard and a Clean Air Clean Jobs Act that replaced nearly a gigawatt of coal-fired generation with natural gas. In total, the Colorado new energy economy created thousands of new jobs.

Ritter is a member of the board of the directors of the Energy Foundation and a senior fellow and member of the board of directors of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute. Ritter earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado State University (1978) and his law degree from the University of Colorado (1981). With his wife Jeannie, he operated a food distribution and nutrition center in Zambia. He then served as Denver's district attorney from 1993 to January 2005.

The Ritters have four children: August, Abe, Sam, and Tally.