IEEE-USA Home: Public Policy: Energy Fly-in

IEEE-USA invites any IEEE member with an interest in Energy Policy to come to Washington on 18-19 June 2012 for our Fourth Annual Energy Fly-In. This unique event will give IEEE members an unparalleled opportunity to directly influence the direction of Energy Policy in Washington.

>>  Click To Register Now  <<

Congress is looking at a host of policies and laws that will determine how America powers itself through the next century. Everything from electric cars to nuclear power and the smart grid are on the table. Before decisions are made and laws enacted, Congress needs to hear from engineers who really understand how our power systems work. Who know what is science and what is science fiction.

Participants 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 18 June, 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 19 June for personal meetings with your elected leaders and/or staff.

Numerous academic studies and experience have shown that personal meetings between voters and their elected leaders are the single best way to influence legislative outcomes. Legislators want to hear 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.

And if you have never engaged the political system before, this is the absolute best way to start!

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.

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.

>>  Click To Register Now  <<

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:  07 February 2012
Contact: Russ Harrison, r.t.harrison@ieee.org
 

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