IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In

IEEE-USA invites any IEEE member with an interest in Energy Policy to come to Washington on 17 and 18 May for our Second Annual Energy Fly-In. This unique event will give IEEE members an unparalleled opportunity to directly influence the direction of Energy Policy in Washington.

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Energy underlies and connects three converging challenges that face the United States in the early 21st century: security, prosperity, and the environment.  To address these issues, President Barack Obama and Congress have vowed to make energy issues a priority this year. This is your opportunity to have a direct impact on this critical process.

As a background document for this event, members will be briefed on and will deliver to their Congressional Representatives IEEE-USA's National Energy Policy Recommendations.  These principles represent the consensus of IEEE-USA's Energy Policy Committee, which is comprised of experts from industry, academia, and the government who share a common expertise in the field of energy, but represent a wide range of viewpoints.

The core aspects of the current threats linked to energy are: the addiction to oil and the threat of climate change to the health of the planet and the prosperity of humanity. The addiction to oil threatens jobs, the economy, national security and the environment Managing or mitigating the threat of climate change requires action to transform our energy systems and our economy to one that is carbon free, carbon neutral or which successfully captures and stores carbon emissions on a geological time scale

Many of the necessary steps are well understood but have not yet been taken.  Established technologies must be applied at unprecedented scale and on an accelerated schedule.  Emerging technologies require further research and development.  Innovation is still needed.  Bold actions and substantial investments will be required to meet the challenges.

The National Energy Policy Recommendations outlines the key actions and investments that IEEE-USA believes are necessary to achieve these goals. Please join us in the IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In to help deliver this message to Congress.

On 17 May, participants will be fully briefed by IEEE-USA staff on the state of the energy policy debate in Congress. You will learn what the budget picture looks like, what obstacles are slowing reforms, and what your legislators need to know to address these problems. Most importantly, you will learn how to meet with Members of Congress.

Armed with this information, participants will head to Capitol Hill on 18 May for personal meetings with their elected leaders and/or staff.

Numerous academic studies have shown that personal meetings between voters and their elected leaders are the single best way to influence legislative outcomes. Legislators appreciate hearing from voters back home. They assume that, if a voter makes the effort to travel all the way to Washington, the voter must feel strongly about the issue. Politicians desperately want to know what issues are important to their voters, so they listen when you take the time to tell them.

Qualifications for participation in the IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In are as follows:

1. You must live in the United States and be an IEEE member

2. You must care about energy policy issues

That's it. Experience, an understanding of the legislative process and familiarity with energy policy are all nice, but completely unnecessary. If you want to learn, IEEE-USA will teach you everything you need to know before your meetings. All you need to bring is enthusiasm and a willingness to help your government make better decisions on how to power our country.

Funding

Most fly-in participants pay their own travel expenses. IEEE-USA will be providing some meals to all participants and has structured the event to minimize costs.

IEEE-USA will be able to provide funding for a limited number of engineers to attend this event. Sponsored participants will be chosen based on the political importance of their legislators. In the past, some sections and regions have also been willing to sponsor a limited number of participants. Contact your section and region leaders directly for more details.

Current Situation

Congress and the Obama Administration will soon be considering energy legislation that could have historic implications and impact. This legislation is expected to address critical issues such as transmission siting, renewable energy, energy efficiency, cap-and-trade, nuclear power, among others. IEEE members will meet with their elected representatives in Washington, DC to convey IEEE-USA's recommendations to help reduce U.S. demand for foreign oil and to develop new technologies that can help assure adequate, reliable, economical, and environmentally responsible energy resources.

Fly-In Schedule (tentative)

IEEE-USA will not know your exact itinerary on Tuesday until your meetings are scheduled. Historically most of these meetings occur in the morning and virtually all before 3:00 p.m. If travel requirements demand that you leave D.C. before 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, please let IEEE-USA know so that we can arrange your Hill visit schedule to accommodate your travel schedule.

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Contacts:

Questions regarding fly-in logistics or Congressional meetings:
Russ Harrison
IEEE-USA
(202) 530-8326
r.t.harrison@ieee.org

Questions regarding Congress, legislation and the IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee:
Bill Williams
IEEE-USA
(202) 530-8331
bill.williams@ieee.org

Updated:  26 April 2010
Contact: Russ Harrison, r.t.harrison@ieee.org