Breakout Session 9 - The Future of Energy:  Projections, Uncertainty and Risk

Chair:
Jim Barrett, Director, Sustainable Economics Program, Redefining Progress

Discussants:
Charles Groat, Director, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Texas, Austin
Dan Desmond, Deputy Secretary, Office of Energy and Technology Development, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Participant Biographies

Daniel J. Desmond is the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Energy and Technology Deployment. The Office, created in January 1996, works with citizen's groups, businesses, trade organizations, local governments and communities to help them understand and adopt pollution prevention and energy efficiency practices. Mr. Desmond is also responsible for fostering the deployment and use of innovative environmental and advanced energy technologies, including renewable energy.

Mr. Desmond joined the Pennsylvania Energy Office in 1983 and developed a number of environmental technology initiatives for the agency, and served as its Executive Director until its merger with DEP in 1995. From April 1995 until his appointment in May 2003, he was Chair of the Pennsylvania Energy Resources Center, an advocacy and public education project to secure funding for renewable energy in the aftermath of utility deregulation. In addition, he was President of Sustainable Systems Research, a Lancaster-based firm specializing in development and commercialization of environmentally beneficial technology.

Mr. Desmond is a graduate of the University of Toledo.