Workshops for Legislators, Candidates Set for Four Sites Across State

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Applied Sustainability Center in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is conducting four energy workshops for state legislators and legislative candidates in July.

The Energy, Jobs and the Economy workshops explore the economic impact and job creation potential in Arkansas of the advanced energy sector, which includes energy efficiency, renewable energy and alternative fuels. The workshops are underwritten in part by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation and the Arkansas Energy Office. Candidates pay a $25 registration fee to offset the cost of lunch and workshop materials.

The candidate workshops are being offered:

·         July 10 at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville

·         July 13 at Pulaski Technical Institute, North Little Rock

·         July 17 at Mid-South Community College, West Memphis

·         July 24 at Henderson State University, Arkadelphia

The benefits of the advanced energy sector to the Arkansas economy include cost savings for business and industry, increasing disposable income for households, job creation and enhanced energy security through energy conservation and diversification of the state’s energy portfolio.

“Arkansas’ existing advanced energy assets can be harnessed to diversify the state’s energy portfolio and drive economic growth for its companies,” said Steve Patterson, executive director of the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation. “The advanced energy sector has demonstrated its great potential by outperforming the overall Arkansas economy since 2003. These workshops are an opportunity for policy makers and business leaders to examine what is and what can be in the advanced energy sector.” 

 Candidates will hear from panelists who represent companies including electric and natural gas utilities, energy service companies such as Johnson Controls, solar panel installers, wind component manufacturers such as LM Wind Power, biofuels manufacturers such as Future Fuels and others.

“The workshops will feature success stories such as the introduction of LED lighting on poultry farms that saves farmers thousands of dollars on their utility bills. These bulbs are being  made by NextGen Illumination, an Arkansas company, so they don’t have to be imported. A true win-win,” said Michele Halsell, managing director of the center. Each workshop will include a tour of a workforce development center or a research facility to illustrate existing resources that can help position the state as a leader in the advanced energy sector.

The nonpartisan workshops are scheduled in July to allow candidates and officials of the Arkansas Legislature time to study the issue and understand how energy policy impacts job creation and the economy. As a result of term limits and contested races in the November general election, the Legislature’s Joint Energy Committee could see its membership change significantly in January 2013. Only three of the 13 members of the committee are unopposed in the general election, which means that up to 77 percent of the membership of the committee could be new.

“Participating in an Energy, Jobs and the Economy workshop may help to prepare legislators and prospective legislators to serve on the Joint Energy Committee,” Halsell said.

Uvalde Lindsey, a Democrat from Fayetteville who is a senator-elect representing state Senate District 4, has registered for the workshop. “Energy is of strategic importance to our state. It is vital that prospective legislators have a solid grasp of the potential to create jobs for our citizens and enhance our energy security through advanced energy,” Lindsey said. 

Jake Files, a Republican from Fort Smith representing Senate District 8, also plans to attend. “Legislators are faced with a whole host of issues that they are expected to make policy decisions on including education, transportation and health care. Energy is a complex issue that affects everyone in the state. This workshop will help to ensure that more of our elected representatives understand the challenges and the potential for economic impact that energy represents in our state,” Files said.

The center plans to offer Energy, Jobs and the Economy workshops for the public and other audiences later in the year.

“Energy is something that we often take for granted. Advanced energy can be a source of new jobs and a source of economic strength for Arkansas. It’s everyone’s business,” Halsell said.

Enrollment for the workshops is capped at 40 seats for each session. Early registration is encouraged. For more information or to register, call the Applied Sustainability Center at 479-575-3917.

The Applied Sustainability Center, established in 2007, is an interdisciplinary research and outreach center of the University of Arkansas housed in the Walton College. The center’s mission is to accelerate learning about sustainability and expand the commitment to sustainable practices in organizations and communities.

The Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was established in 2011. The foundation, which operates exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, performs research, public education and economic and workforce development in support of its mission to create jobs and grow the advanced energy sector and Arkansas’ economy as a whole.

The Arkansas Energy Office, a division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, promotes energy efficiency and emerging technologies through energy education and information programs as well as managing federal energy funds in Arkansas.