ATLANTA – State Representative Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) has been reelected as chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference’s (SLC) Energy and Environment Committee.
“I am honored to have been elected to serve a second year as chair of this committee,” said Rep. Martin. “I believe a well thought out and balanced energy policy is essential to America’s future; a predictable energy supply will spur our nation’s economy and provide a basis for American businesses to create jobs in our region and throughout the United States as a whole.”
Rep. Martin won his reelection for this regional leadership position during SLC’s 65th Annual Meeting, which was held in Memphis, Tennessee earlier this summer. As part of its mission to foster and encourage cooperation among its 15 member states, this meeting brought together over 1,000 delegates, legislative staff, and guests from across the South.
In addition to reelecting Rep. Martin as its chair, the SLC Energy and Environment Committee also met for a program session, which featured a panel discussion on Nuclear Energy in a Post-Fukushima World. The session examined the progress of safety assessments of the 104 nuclear reactors operating in the United States, as well as the general status of nuclear energy production in the South. It also featured a presentation from Dr. Marco J. Castaldi, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, addressing recent innovations in the field of Alternative Energy from Waste Plastics.
Rep. Martin’s committee also met for its business session, which featured a presentation on renewable energy entitled, Innovations in Production, Storage and Transportation by Representative Warren Chisum of Texas, and Jimmy Glotfelty, Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Clean Line Energy Partners. The presentations focused on progress being made in renewable energy production and delivery, as well as the role the renewable energy sector is playing in economic development.
The Energy and Environment Committee is one of six SLC standing committees. According to SLC, the committee focuses on developing energy & environmental policies that ensure sound stewardship of the southern states’ resources and the economy of the region as a whole. This includes policies aimed at sustaining economic development, meeting growing energy needs, and maintaining the South’s high quality of life. Recent committee initiatives include a study of clean water programs and water permitting; alternative energy; the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); state compliance with federal clean air and water standards; the future for nuclear power; the role of merchant power plants; the ramifications of deregulation on Southern states; growth and sprawl; and a survey of recent legislative and state public utility activity.
SLC is a regional legislative group made up of 15-member states operated under the Council of State Governments. By working together within the SLC and participating on its committees, Southern state legislative leaders are able to speak in a distinctive, unified voice to address the issues that affect their states and the greater region.
For more information about SLC and its Energy and Environment Committee, please click here.
Representative Chuck Martin represents the citizens of District 47, which includes portion of Fulton County. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2002, and is currently the Chairman of Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations, Energy, Utilities, & Telecommunications, Regulated Industries, Science & Technology, and Ways & Means committees.
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