Understanding the New Energy Landscape: Technological Change and Global Market Integration
Jun. 27, 2012
Grand Hyatt (Constitution Ballroom)
America’s energy landscape has undergone seismic shifts over the past few years. While the most striking change has occurred in U.S. supplies and production of oil & natural gas, almost every sector of the energy industry has experienced rapid changes. Shale gas has grown from 5 percent to 33 percent of total U.S gas production in just five years. Domestic oil production, which had declined steadily for decades, has begun rising again, growing from 4.95 million barrels per day in 2008 to 5.66 million barrels per day in 2011. Natural gas liquids production, which has ramped up recently due to both increased shale gas and tight oil production, is expected to be a game changer on the energy landscape. Electricity generation from natural gas has increased sharply recently and renewable generation more than doubled from 2000 through 2010, with installed wind capacity increasing by more than 16-fold.
The Vanishing Moderate Democrat
Jun. 20, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
Following BPC's recent Election Series examination of the decline of the moderate Republican, BPC hosted former policymakers, academics and journalists for a frank discussion about similar trends faced by the Democrats. What forces are at work in the Democratic Party? How are they different than those in the GOP? How have they impacted both regional and intraparty races? And what can we expect as a result this November?
The event was in partnership with Center Forward.
A Forum on Transformation through Innovation
Jun. 19, 2012
Embassy Suites Nashville South-Cool Springs
The BPC Health Project partnered with the Nashville Health Care Council to host “A Forum on Transformation through Innovation” in Nashville, Tennessee. The event addressed the critical role of information technology in health care delivery with a focus on the power of policy to position and drive positive outcomes in quality, lower costs and promote greater coordination and efficiency. The event included remarks from U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist, co-chairs of the BPC Health Project and Task Force on Delivery System Reform and Health Information Technology, as well as remarks from other leading health care experts.
Webinar: It's 2020: Where to Get Care?
Jun. 15, 2012
Webinar on Workforce
The BPC Health Project and Deloitte Center for Health Solutions hosted a webinar about our collaborative project: A 21st Century Approach to Health Workforce Planning. The ongoing transformation of the health care system means that our nation faces changing demands for health care professionals. Who will be providing our health care services in the future? And where? And how?
The Tax Piece of the Debt Puzzle
Jun. 11, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
As Congress barrels toward a momentous lame duck session later this year, what are the prospects for fundamental tax reform as part of a larger deficit reduction package? Current and former members of Congress, as well as leading budget experts, examined the state of tax reform and plans for moving forward after the presidential election and in 2013.
Better Use of Public Dollars: Economic Impact Analysis in Transportation
Jun. 8, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
The Eno Center for Transportation (Eno) presented its first annual William P. Eno Research Paper, a competitive paper competition among Eno's Leadership Development Conference Fellows. Authored by Texas A&M Graduate Nick Norboge, the paper focuses on the economic impacts of the transportation decision-making process. The paper uses federal and state case studies to demonstrate that economic impact analyses can help to increase accountability and transparency, and it proposes policy changes that can further their application.
The presentation of the paper was followed by responses to it by a panel of top experts from the government and the transportation industry. The panelists drew on their own experience to reflect and comment on economic impacts of transportation investment.
Jun. 6, 2012
Hyatt Regency
In January 2012, the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future issued a consensus report recommending a new comprehensive strategy to manage and dispose of the nation's spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Breaking the current stalemate requires action by both the Administration and Congress.
BPC's Nuclear Initiative held a discussion of ongoing efforts to implement the Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations and achieve near-term progress on nuclear waste storage and disposal.
Jun. 6, 2012
Ogilvy Washington Headquarters
While healthy, civil debate between political parties is an essential component of American democracy, the current poisonous partisanship in politics is impeding progress on issues of vital importance to the nation. Despite this reality, strong examples exist of political leaders who have transcended party lines and improved the government function. What lessons can we learn from these "best practices" in bipartisanship to shift our divisive discourse and restore common ground and collaborative thinking? What issues can we focus on today that hold promise in bridging this partisan gap?
"The Case for Bipartisanship" brought together BPC President Jason Grumet, Jim Douglas, former Vermont Governor and BPC Governors' Council member, and Dan Glickman, former Congressman of Kansas, former Secretary of Agriculture, and BPC Senior Fellow, to explore the historical dynamic and importance of bipartisanship and offer new ideas on key issues that are ripe for bipartisan action.
Lots to Lose: How America's Health and Obesity Crisis Threatens our Economic Future
Jun. 5, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
A bipartisan group of former cabinet secretaries released a comprehensive and actionable plan to improve America’s physical and fiscal crises, driven by the alarming rates of obesity and chronic disease today. Former Secretaries of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Ann M. Veneman and former Secretaries of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala and Mike Leavitt released the recommendations today, calling needed attention to our mounting health care spending, which is expected to reach $4.6 trillion dollars annually by 2020 and consume 19.8% of GDP.
The report, entitled, Lots to Lose: How America’s Health and Obesity Crisis Threatens our Economic Future, from the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, calls on the public and private sectors to collaborate in creating healthy families, schools, workplaces and communities, focusing on existing best practices that can be implemented on a large scale to broaden their impact and help scale back obesity in the U.S. The co-chairs recognize that given America’s limited federal resources, any effective plan to reduce obesity and health care costs will need to engage private sector partners and build on successful examples, targeting those actions with the most promise to bring about large-scale shifts over time.
Housing in America: Innovative Solutions to Address the Needs of Tomorrow (St. Louis Public Forum)
Jun. 5, 2012
Westin St. Louis
Former Senator Kit Bond joined the BPC Housing Commission and the Jack Kemp Foundation in holding a public forum in St. Louis to discuss the importance of public-private partnerships in addressing the nation’s housing challenges.
Training Tomorrow's Workers Today: How the Right Investments Can Make a Difference
May 22, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
Today, more than 12 million Americans are unemployed and actively seeking work. For veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the situation is even more dire, with an unemployment rate nearly 40 percent higher than that of the general population.
However, employers are seeking to fill more than 3.5 million job openings. How do we bridge the divide and provide unemployed workers with the skills and competencies these opportunities require? How can industry collaborate with government to fill the gap when federal resources for job training programs have declined by 18 percent since 2006? And as we prepare to celebrate national service on Memorial Day, how can we ease the transition of veterans back into the civilian workforce?
BPC examined these issues and more with leaders from the public and private sectors.
Solution or Stall? The Next Round of Talks with Iran
May 14, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
On May 23, the United States and its international partners sat down in Baghdad for another round of talks with Iran. While a diplomatic deal remains the best hope for a peaceful resolution to the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, experts disagree over what terms the United States should accept and what can be expected from Iran. BPC hosted a distinguished panel for a discussion of what to expect from, and what is at stake in, the upcoming negotiations.
U.S.-Russia Trade Relations and Human Rights
May 9, 2012
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2203
With Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), the U.S. could be at a commercial and political disadvantage if it does not graduate Russia from the Jackson-Vanik amendment and grant it permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status. At the same time, many policymakers and experts have serious concerns about shortcomings on human rights and the rule of law in Russia, and favor an approach to Russia that addresses those concerns. Following its recent analysis of the subject, BPC's Foreign Policy Project (FPP) held a discussion on the future of U.S.-Russian relations and building a more constructive bilateral relationship with Russia, including promoting Russian human rights, rule of law, democracy, transparency, civil society and commercial engagements.
8th Annual AAMC Physician Workforce Research Conference
May 3 - 4, 2012
Marriott Wardman Park
The Eighth Annual Physician Workforce Research Conference will be held May 3-4, 2012 in Washington, D.C at the Marriott Wardman Park. This conference is the premier opportunity for researchers, educators, and policymakers to meet and discuss federal and state workforce issues. The theme this year will be Stretching our Health Workforce to Meet Population Need.
The Vanishing Moderate Republican
May 1, 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center
Where have all the moderate Republicans gone? A generation ago, both parties had significant moderate wings. But each election has yielded a hollower middle, and today the political parties are much more clearly divided into conservative and liberal camps. BPC hosted a panel of experts on the disappearance of political centrists from the Republican Party.
Stay tuned for a future event on the decline of Blue Dogs in the Democratic Party, "The Vanishing Moderate Democrat."
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ashley Berrang
Director of Communications
aberrang@bipartisanpolicy.org
For media inquiries related to energy policy, please contact:
Rosemarie Calabro Tully
Energy Project Press Secretary
rcalabrotully@bipartisanpolicy.org
For Congressional inquiries, please contact the Bipartisan Policy Center Advocacy Network:
BPCANinfo@bipartisanpolicy.org
202-218-6761
