Western Alumnus Jeff Hammarlund to Discuss Northwest Energy Policy Feb. 25

Western Washington University will host Huxley College of the Environment alumnus Jeff Hammarlund from Portland State University for a discussion on energy policy in the Pacific Northwest as part of Huxley’s Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25 in Communications Facility 110.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

Cheap, abundant and reliable electricity has helped transform the Pacific Northwest from a forgotten backwater to a major international powerhouse. However, geography, climate, location, history and a set of regional political “deals” that have occurred in 30-year cycles have ensured that energy policy issues and challenges are different here in some very important ways.

In his talk, titled “How and Why Energy Policy Is Different (Even a Little Weird) in the Pacific Northwest,” Hammarlund will explore some of the reasons behind our region’s unusual “energy exceptionalism,” and explain why understanding these differences is important for anyone interested in advocating for a cleaner and more sustainable energy future for our region.

Hammarlund is the owner of a small Portland-based consulting firm, Northwest Energy and Environmental Strategies. He is also an adjunct professor, Energy Program manager, and senior research fellow at the Center for Public Service at Portland State University. He has taught graduate and professional development courses on Northwest energy policy, national energy policy and designing the smart grid for sustainable communities for more than two decades. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Wisconsin, and was a member of both Huxley and Fairhaven Colleges’ first full graduating classes in 1972.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact Jen Vander Weyden, Huxley’s College of the Environment marketing coordinator, at (360) 650-2554 or Jen.VanderWeyden@wwu.edu.