About Us
The Energy Initiative Overview of Coalition Structure
Co-Chairs
The Honorable John Breaux (Former U.S. Senator, Louisiana)
The Honorable Beverly O'Neill (Former Mayor, Long Beach, CA)
Working Group Structure
To facilitate a dialogue and build consensus between producers and consumers of energy, we propose to create working groups, evenly comprised of both producers and consumers, charged with identifying new policy recommendations on the specific issue areas that will be considered by the coalition. The following functional working groups are proposed:
- Stationary Energy Supplies:
- Crude oil, natural gas, electricity, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, other renewables, and infrastructure
- Transportation Energy Supplies:
- Conventional motor fuels, bio-fuels, fuel cells, hybrids, emerging technologies (applies to fuels and engines)
- Conservation, Efficiency and Environmental Protection:
- Addressing Environmental Protection, Conservation Measures and Standards
Each working group would be charged with reviewing the major challenges, current policy impediments, market restraints and other barriers to addressing its issue of responsibility and work toward developing policy recommendations for consideration by the full membership.
Each working group will follow a formal agenda and all meetings will be facilitated by Mayor O'Neill and Senator Breaux or their designees.. An Executive Coordinator will oversee and coordinate the policy review and recommendation process, the production of formal agendas and written work products and the working group meetings. The group would work with the Executive Coordinator to convene meetings of their respective working groups, either in person, or more likely, by conference calls and work with the facilitator to moderate the group discussions.
Identification and Evaluation of Preliminary Policy Options
Each working group is charged with developing one or more preliminary policy recommendations for review and consideration by the full membership of the Energy Initiative. These policy recommendations must address their working group's issue area.
Facilitated Policy Option Review
After all policy recommendations have been produced by each working group, a "Policy Sheet" containing every policy recommendation will be drafted and a structured, formal group evaluation and review of each recommendation will be done.
Building Consensus
The working groups will work together to identify the best policy solution(s) for the group as a whole through a ranking process. The facilitator is charged with ensuring that each working group members' opinions are heard and fully discussed during this phase and that each policy recommendation is fully considered and eventually ranked by the working group.
Working Group Reports
After fully evaluating each policy recommendation and reaching consensus on its primary recommendation(s), the coalition will produce a report for each of the three working groups. The report will include the following sections:
- Overview of the materials provided to the working group;
- List of all policy options considered and evaluated;
- Findings from the policy option review; and,
- The working groups recommendations and justification./li>
Developing Consensus with the Full Membership
Once each working group has completed its work and a report has been produced and provided to the full membership of the Energy Initiative, the full membership will be convened. At this meeting, an overview of each working group's findings and recommendations will be presented. Following this meeting, each member of the Energy Initiative will be asked to endorse the findings and policy recommendations of each working group report.
The Energy Initiative's Final Report
The coalition will develop the Energy Initiative's Final Report. This report will largely be a combination of each working group report and will be publicly shared with the media and interested stakeholders. The Energy Initiative Final Report will provide the findings and policy recommendations that were supported by the full membership and an overview of the decision making and evaluation process. |
|
