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Brian Kuehl Addresses the 2010 Wyoming Sustainability Summit

On April 12, Clark Group Partner Brian Kuehl addressed the 2010 Wyoming Sustainability Summit hosted by the University of Wyoming and the Ruckelshaus Institute for Environment and Natural Resources.

In a speech entitled “Atypical Allies: Engage the Whole Community to Contribute to Sustainability” Brian presented examples of successful projects that The Clark Group has coordinated around the United States that have contributed to community sustainability.

“It’s important for people to understand that sustainability is a process, not a place,” said Brian Kuehl.  “Changing light-bulbs won’t make you sustainable.  Sustainability comes from aligning your organization and the needs of external stakeholders to solve real problems – that’s true in government, NGO’s and in the private sector.”

Brian’s speech looked at three Clark Group case studies: construction of a biogas plant in Washington State; a regional effort to improve air quality in Middle Georgia; and a community-based green redevelopment effort in Sheridan, Wyoming.

“The Clark Group believes that one of the best routes to sustainability is to bring together people with diverse interests and to align those interests toward a higher goal,” added Brian.  “Solutions that are borne from consensus are inherently more sustainable that those that are not.”

For a copy of the PowerPoint presentation for this speech, contact The Clark Group at 202-544-8200.

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell Contributes to GMF Climate Essay Series

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell, a partner at The Clark Group recently published a policy brief entitled "U.S. Climate Leadership: Outlook for 2010” with the German Marshall Fund.  This is the first of an essay series that GMF will publish over the course of 2010 on Climate Change Policy: New Ideas for a New Decade. The essays are intended to offer fresh thinking and policy recommendations to help clarify the post-Copenhagen policy landscape and offer ideas to policymakers in the United States, Europe, and around the globe on how to tackle climate change. 

The Clark Group Joins IETA

The Clark Group recently joined the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), a non-profit business organization of major companies and the leading voice of this community on emissions trading.  As a member of IETA, TCG hopes to continue to leverage its work in support of an active and effective global greenhouse gas market. On May 28th, Chelsea Henderson Maxwell, a partner at The Clark Group, will speak at the upcoming IETA sponsored Carbon Expo 2010 in Cologne, Germany. Chelsea will participate in a session entitled “A North American outlook: A US climate policy?” For more information on the Carbon Expo, click here.

Laura Sands and Sara Brodnax attend 2010 Commodity Classic with Members of the Agricultural Carbon Market Working Group

Laura Sands, Partner, gave a presentation focused on the effects of climate change and related legislation on agriculture at the annual Commodity Classic trade show.  Dan Looker, of Agriculture Online, said the presentation worked to “shatter some myths about cap and trade legislation,” and also recounted Laura’s assertion that agriculture can be part of the solution to climate change.  The presentation was sponsored by the National Wheat Growers Association Foundation.

Laura and Sara accompanied five members of the Agricultural Carbon Market Working Group (ACMWG) to Commodity Classic in Anaheim.

To see Laura’s presentation visit the Policy section of the ACMWG website.  It is titled Climate Change: Are You Sure You Know What You Think You Know and can be found here.

To see the complete Dan Looker article on Laura’s presentation click here.

Lisa Mahoney Selected Chair of NEPA Working Group

Lisa Mahoney, Senior Associate at the Clark Group, has been elected to serve as the Chair of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Working Group of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP).  This leadership role has responsibility for guiding and coordinating the activities of the NEPA Working Group.

The National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) is a multi-disciplinary association for professionals dedicated to the advancement of the environmental professions.  NAEP is a network of professional contacts in industry, government, academia, and the private sector in the U.S. and abroad.  The NAEP serves as a forum for state-of-the-art information on environmental planning, research and management.

The Working Group is dedicated to improving environmental assessment as performed under NEPA.  Responsibilities of the NEPA Working Group (NWG) Chairperson include:

Lisa will assume her responsibilities at the NAEP Annual Conference in Atlanta during April.

More information can be found on the NWG website: http://draftnepa.wetpaint.com/

Or the NAEP website: http://naep.org.

Clark Group Attends 40th Anniversary NEPA Symposium

Lisa Mahoney, Chris Conrad and Ray Clark of The Clark Group, LLC attended the 40th Anniversary National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Symposium hosted by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).  Passed by Congress in 1969 and signed into law on January 1, 1970, NEPA was the first Federal legislation to incorporate environmental considerations into government decision-making.

Concurrent with the 40th Anniversary Symposium, CEQ announced steps to modernize and reinvigorate NEPA, including the release of draft guidance on the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in NEPA analyses.

Lisa Mahoney, Chris Conrad and Ray Clark of The Clark Group, LLC attended the 40th Anniversary National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Symposium hosted by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).  Passed by Congress in 1969 and signed into law on January 1, 1970, NEPA was the first Federal legislation to incorporate environmental considerations into government decision-making.  NEPA requires that Federal agencies consider the environmental impacts of proposed activities before acting.

Watch a short video about the NEPA Symposium

Concurrent with the 40th Anniversary Symposium, CEQ announced steps to modernize and reinvigorate NEPA.  These measures are intended to assist Agencies to meet the goals of NEPA, enhance the quality of public involvement, increase transparency and ease implementation.

CEQ released draft NEPA guidance for public comment on four issues: consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; “Findings of No Significant Impact” and monitoring of environmental mitigation commitments; categorical exclusions; and enhanced public tools for reporting on NEPA activities.

Read the press release

Or access the guidance on NEPA and climate change

The Clark Group well Represented at UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen

Chelsea Maxwell, Sara Brodnax, and Zeke Spears attended the recent Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark.  This was the 15th conference of the parties (COP-15) and the second time the Clark Group has sent observers to a COP.  Last year, Sara Brodnax attended COP-14 in Poznan, Poland with Ag Carbon Market Working Group (ACMWG) member Fred Yoder.

Chelsea, a Partner at the Clark Group, tracked various aspects of the conference and created daily reports that were distributed to Congress as updates on the progress of negotiations.  While this was Chelsea’s first COP with the Clark Group, she attended COP-13 in Bali, Indonesia as part of the Congressional delegation while working as Senator John Warner’s Senior Advisor on energy and climate change.  

Sara and Zeke followed the role of agriculture at COP-15 with members of the ACMWG Fred Yoder, former President of the National Corn Growers Association, and Dwayne Siekman, Executive Director of the Ohio Corn Growers.  American agriculture played a visibly increased role at this COP, as seen by a range of first time attendees.  Joining the members of the ACMWG were representatives of the National Milk Producers Federation and the National Corn Growers Association.   

David Evans, Former Managing Director and Chief Researcher at
the Corporate Executive Board, Joins The Clark Group, LLC

The Clark Group, LLC welcomes David Evans, former Managing Director and a Chief Researcher at the Corporate Executive Board, as a Partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. While at CEB, Mr. Evans managed multiple teams of business analysts identifying superior management practices for top corporate executives in functions such as R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, Sustainability, and Procurement.

With his move to The Clark Group, Evans applies his decade of management best practice experience to help clients improve returns on their investments in sustainability.

“David’s background in management is a critical component of The Clark Group’s strategy to better serve our clients’ sustainability needs in the public and private sectors,” said Brian Kuehl, Managing Partner of The Clark Group, and former Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Max Baucus.  “David will add significant value to our team and will support our clients’ efforts to diagnose and overcome organizational roadblocks on the path to sustainability.”

Mr. Evans’ work with The Clark Group will provide timely support for leaders in both the private and public sectors.  In the private sector, executives are struggling to prioritize competing sustainability initiatives and measure their performance, amid the uncertainty of pending climate change legislation and the rising tide of retailer mandates such as Wal-Mart’s new Sustainability Index.  In federal agencies, similarly, leaders face heightened performance requirements from the Obama administration, as detailed in the release of Executive Order 13514 and in new approaches to program evaluation using “comparative effectiveness research” methods. 

“The Clark Group brings together an unusual combination of experience across the federal, NGO, and private sectors that places us at the center of rapid change in environmental and energy policy,” said Mr. Evans.  “That allows us to provide clients with unique insight into the many new management challenges they will consequently face and how to solve them.”

Before joining The Clark Group, Mr. Evans worked at the Corporate Executive Board managing lines of business and developing performance assessment methodologies that help clients improve by comparing the effectiveness of different management practices. He first developed his interest in understanding the drivers of economic advantage during a decade in architectural practice and real estate development in the UK, France, and Germany.  Mr. Evans’s range of professional experience reflects a distinctly global and interdisciplinary perspective. He holds an MBA with High Distinction from Georgetown University and an AA Diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

The Clark Group specializes in public and private sustainability, climate solutions, and renewable energy.  Established in 2001, they have offices in Washington, D.C. as well as in several locations around the country. 

Click here for a PDF version

American, Brazilian and German Farmers Exchange Places and Ideas

This summer, the Clark Group coordinated and participated in a series of farmer exchanges with Brazil and Germany.  The purpose of the exchanges was to create a link between the United States, Brazilian and German agricultural communities focusing on ways in which agricultural and forestry producers in each country can benefit from an international carbon market as part of a climate change policy.  The exchanges provided a forum for farmer-to-farmer discussions on various international and domestic policy dimensions of energy, trade, climate protection and deforestation.

 “These exchanges were a real chance for connection between the American, Brazilian, and German farming communities,” said Sara Hessenflow Harper, partner with The Clark Group.  “Farmers from around the world are becoming interested in the value of eco-services markets and how these services can be valued in the international marketplace.  It was particularly inspiring to see the connections that formed between the American and Brazilian farmers over using carbon markets to avoid deforestation.”

The exchanges started in early July, when German farmers and foresters visited farm sites and carbon projects in Ohio, Pennsylvania and policymakers in Washington, DC.  American farmers and members of the Ag Carbon Market Working Group then traveled to the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil to visit ranches, agricultural production facilities, forest areas and indigenous tribes.  And then in August, Brazilian farmers and representatives of local governments and commodity organizations visited farms, production facilities, and a farm show in Ohio and policymakers in DC.

The Brazilian exchange was organized in coordination with a number of partners.

In particular, the exchange served to examine the significance of agriculture’s role in the new direction of climate policy in the United States as well as major challenges facing the international agricultural community within the context of the UN climate negotiation process.  The many benefits of the exchange included:

The exchanges built on a previous US-German farmer exchange in July and August 2007.

Photographs of the exchanges from Sara Brodnax, Clark Group’s Director of Analysis, can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sara.brodnax/ BrazilianAdventures?authkey=Gv1sRgCOOSuN-8wdyyVQ#

Brian Kuehl Interviewed by Christian Science Monitor for Perspective on Rocky Mountain Environmental Politics

Fifteen years ago, Mr. Clinton dispatched Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, a former Arizona governor, to the Western hinterlands, where he championed reform of mining rules and livestock grazing, recovery of endangered species such as wolves, and cuts in the tree harvest from national forests. Those positions became yet another rallying cry for then-Rep. Newt Gingrich (R), who parlayed antigovernment sentiments into midterm-election victory, giving Republicans control of Capitol Hill that lasted for 12 years.

“I think Obama is well aware of what happened to Clinton,” says Brian Kuehl, managing partner of The Clark Group, a policy think tank, who was formerly the legislative director for US Sen. Max Baucus (D) of Montana. “Obama and those around him are smart enough not to repeat those mistakes, but more importantly, the West is different than it was in the early 1990s.”

So far, the president has reached out to hunters and anglers, and he has avoided a major tiff with the National Rifle Association by not pushing for gun control. During this Montana trip, the president may attempt to fly-fish, one of his aides said Thursday.

Interior Secretary Salazar a plus

Obama’s selection of former Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar to head the Interior Department is also a promising sign, says Mr. Kuehl, who now lives in Sheridan, Wyo., and is the son-in-law of former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan. A Hispanic-American with ties to the ranching industry, Secretary Salazar is an outspoken supporter of the right to bear arms and a conservation-minded sportsman. He has never been accused of being too green. Still, he helped to sell Obama’s wilderness protection plan and reform of a 19th-century mining law linked to costly ecological problems and giveaways of public land.

With the contentious Pacific Northwest timber wars largely a thing of the past, Obama is on surer footing than Clinton was, Kuehl adds.

Read full article here...

VA Selects The Clark Group to Craft New Environmental Policies

July 27, 2009. (Washington, DC) The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Monday that it has selected The Clark Group to provide technical expertise and staff to assist the VA in the development and implementation of new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations for the agency.

The Clark Group was awarded the contract because of their unparalleled expertise in environmental policy and guidance. Over the past 10 years, members of the Clark Group team have been involved in more than a third of the environmental analysis regulations and policies developed by federal agencies including revisions to NEPA policies for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We are very pleased to be selected by the VA to assist with development of their new environmental regulations,” said Lisa Mahoney, Vice President of Environmental Analysis for The Clark Group. “Our firm is one of the leading companies in the United States helping governments and businesses develop and implement proactive environmental policies.”

The contract awarded by the VA will require The Clark Group team to transform outdated environmental policies into an efficient and effective environmental program for the 21st century. The proposed revision of the VA NEPA procedures is the first time that the regulations will have been updated since they were first implemented back in 1986. Since that time, the VA’s statutory requirements and organizational structure have changed, the White House Council on Environmental Quality has issued new guidance on NEPA, and climate change has risen to the forefront of environmental concerns.

As the federal government’s second largest department, the VA is responsible for health care services, including the construction of VA hospitals, benefits administration, and oversight of the national cemeteries. This large and complex mission requires a tailored and effective NEPA program. The Clark Group team will bring expertise to bear on a regulatory revision that will transform the VA’s environmental planning program.

The Clark Group team on this project includes Lisa Mahoney; Ray Clark, former Associate Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Chris Conrad, former head of the joint Chiefs of Staff Policy Division.

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell Serves as U.S. Climate Expert for Carbon Expo Panel in Barcelona

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell, a Partner at The Clark Group, recently served as a panelist for the plenary session titled, “Role of the USA in a Post-2012 Regime: Domestic and International Realities and Opportunities,” at the annual Carbon Expo in Barcelona, Spain.  The Expo hosts around 3000 climate and energy professionals from around the world.

The panel delved into the issues surrounding the U.S. and its reemergence in the international climate negotiations; the significance of action in both the Obama Administration and in the U.S. Congress; and the likelihood of the U.S. enacting a domestic cap and trade program before international negociations resume this year in Copenhagen. 

"The momentum around action on climate change was palpable.  All eyes are on the United States Congress and efforts to pass a meaningful cap and trade program before Copenhagen.” -  Chelsea Maxwell

Chelsea contributed her perspective as the lead staffer on the Senate climate change bill during the 2007-2008 consideration of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act and the intelligence she has gathered working with members of both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to move a climate change bill forward in 2009.

Landmark Climate and Energy Legislation Passes House Committee

The American Clean Energy and Security Act, landmark climate and energy legislation, cleared a tall hurdle on May 21, 2009 when it was approved by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 33-25.  A centerpiece of the 930-plus-page bill is the creation of a cap-and-trade system that would reduce greenhouse gases to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% below 2005 levels by 2050.  The bill is expected to move through the additional House committees of jurisdiction before being put to a full vote before the U.S. House of Representatives.  Action is possible before the July 4th recess. 

The Clark Group’s partners and associates worked actively with members of the agriculture, faith, and environmental communities toward committee passage of this critical bill. While this bill has broad support, there are still some important changes that need to be made to ensure the program is truly workable, particularly with respect to agriculture offsets.  As the bill moves through the legislative process, the Clark Group will continue to work with existing and future clients to build upon this legislation.

Please click here to read more about the Bill.

Clark Group Assesses Carbon Offset Potential of Ecotech Zeolite

The Clark Group released a scoping report detailing the carbon offset potential and other associated environmental benefits from the use of Ecotech zeolite. Zeolite is a unique mineral with many agricultural applications that provides environmental benefits, including improved water quality, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manure and fertilizer, and enhanced methane capture in anaerobic digestion.

The purpose of the report is to assess the options for Ecotech zeolite to qualify for carbon credits based on the potential for zeolite to mitigate GHG emissions in light of current and emerging climate change policies and markets. The report is focused primarily on agricultural applications, although zeolite may also have GHG benefits for other applications such as industrial processes. Click here to read the full report (PDF, 1.3mb)

Sarah Bates Discusses the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act

Highlights Issues Relating to Climate Change, Energy Development, and Wildfire Concerns
In two articles, The Clark Group affiliate Sarah Bates comments on the passage of the massive Omnibus Public Land Management Act, as well as the need to evolve our approach to managing public lands: “These are lofty sentiments, worthy of a historic moment such as this. But signing this bill is only the first step in addressing the diverse and vexing challenges facing our 700 million-acre public land estate—the approximately one-third of our nation’s landscape owned in common by all Americans.” Sarah Bates is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy (formerly the Public Policy Research Institute) at the University of Montana.

Public Lands Are On the Map: Obama Administration Served Multiple Menus for Reform
Science Progress (April 7th, 2009)

See the full online article:
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/04/public-lands-are-on-the-map/
or click to download the article (PDF, 164k)

New Public Lands Agenda: A new report details pressing public-lands issues for the Obama administration, lays out options for action
Headwater News March 25th, 2009

See the full online article:
http://www.headwatersnews.org/p.Publiclands032509.html
or click to download the article (PDF, 132k)

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell Comments on Prospects for Climate Change Legislation

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell commented on the future of climate change legislation in a recent Politico article regarding the current policy focus on this issue. "Five years ago, people saw climate change as an environmental issue, and it really goes beyond that," Maxwell said. "It's an energy issue. It's a national security issue. It's a tax issue. It's an immigration issue. It has so many facets that, as those constituencies start seeing there's likelihood of movement on the Hill, then, of course, people want to make sure their interests are ... represented."

Click here to read the full article.

Chelsea Maxwell, Senior Climate Advisor to U.S. Sen. John Warner, Joins The Clark Group, LLC

The Clark Group, LLC announced today that Chelsea Henderson Maxwell, Senior Climate Advisor to U.S. Senator John Warner, has joined The Clark Group as a partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office. In her tenure with Senator Warner, Ms. Maxwell helped write the Lieberman-Warner climate bill and was a part of the Congressional delegation to the UNFCCC climate change negotiations in Bali in 2007.

Read the full release. (PDF, 12k)

Chelsea Henderson Maxwell Addresses International Emissions Trading Association

January 23, 2009

On January 23, 2009, Chelsea participated in the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) members’ workshop, speaking on a panel entitled, "Congressional Plans for a Nationwide Trading Regime." Joining Chelsea on the panel were Joel Bluestein of ICF International and Michael Goo from the Natural Resources Defense Council. In this session, Chelsea discussed the prospects and likely course of development for cap-and-trade legislation in the 111th Congress. Chelsea specifically addressed what course of action is expected from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the likelihood that President Obama could use existing authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate CO2 and bypass Congress altogether.

Laura Sands comments on Obama Green Team

Point Carbon

December 19, 2008

Laura Sands discusses how the appointment of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to lead the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an opportunity for agriculture in the development of domestic climate policy.

Click here to read the article. (PDF, 128k)

International Emissions Trading Association Publishes Harper Article on Carbon Offsets

December 9, 2008

The International Emissions Trading Association published Clark Group Partner, Sara Hessenflow-Harper’s article “Agricultural Offsets in GHG Trading: What, How and Why” in its recent Greenhouse Gas Market Report 2008. This report is being used to inform The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Poland being held December 1-12, 2008.

Click link below to download the article (PDF, 152k):
Agricultural Offsets in GHG Trading: What, How and Why—Sara Hessenflow-Harper

Click the link below to download the full IETA report (PDF, 2.1mb):
International Emissions Trading Association Greenhouse Gas Market Report 2008.

Sara Brodnax Joins UN Climate Negotiations in Poland

December 5, 2008

Sara Brodnax of The Clark Group is set to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference December 8-12 in Poznan, Poland. This is the fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-14) to the Kyoto Protocol. The negotiations in Poznan will help to shape the agreement that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire in 2012. Sara will be attending as an observer as part of the NGO Environmental Defense Fund delegation.

Sara will be joined by Fred Yoder, member of the Ag Carbon Market Working Group and former President of the National Corn Growers Association. They will be focused in particular on aspects of the negotiations that impact mitigation strategies and agriculture. For more information on the conference, please visit unfccc.int or the blog agoffsets.blogspot.com

Kickapoo Nation Seeks Energy Independence

Kickapoo Reservation, August 18, 2008

The Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas has embarked on an ambitious plan for energy independence. The Tribe intends to lower its energy costs and improve energy reliability while at the same time protecting the environment. To achieve these divergent goals, the Kickapoo Tribe has employed The Clark Group, LLC.

The Clark Group is a consortium of senior level policy, communications, and science professionals who have worked at the highest levels of government, including the White House and Capitol Hill. The Clark Group provides a wide range of services to companies, agencies, tribes, associations and individuals. Its services include environmental solutions, environmental impact assessment and policy development, and strategic government relations.

With The Clark Group, the Kickapoo Tribe will enter into a multi-step plan for energy independence. The Kickapoo Tribe will begin by auditing its energy usage and reducing consumption. At the same time, the Clark Group will create and provide site specific resource maps of the Kickapoo Reservation. Using the latest satellite and supercomputer technology, these maps will provide up to date and accurate information regarding the solar, wind and hydropower resources.

Upon completion of these preliminary steps, the Kickapoo and The Clark Group will decide which type(s) of renewable resources will best benefit the tribe and reduce environmental impacts. At that time the Kickapoo Tribe and The Clark Group will implement these plans and the Kickapoo will be on the road to energy independence.

“We have undertaken this ambitious program in order to protect our natural resources, to assure continuous and low-priced power for the reservation and to allow the Kickapoo Reservation to develop in a sustainable and responsible manner”, stated Tribal Chairman Steve Cadue.

Laura Sands and Sara Hessenflow-Harper Become New Partners in The Clark Group

July 14, 2008

The Clark Group announced today that effective July 1, 2008, Laura Sands and Sara Hessenflow-Harper have become Partners in The Clark Group, LLC.

Laura Sands joined The Clark Group in 2006 after serving as Editor for Farm Journal Media. Sara Hessenflow-Harper joined The Clark Group in 2007 after serving as National Security and Climate Policy Analyst for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Prior to joining EDF, Sara served as Legislative Aide to Senators Brownback (R-KS) and Hagel (R-NE).

“We’re thrilled to have Laura and Sara become partners and owners in The Clark Group” said Ray Clark, founder of the firm. “Together, they have helped place The Clark Group at the leading edge among companies working at the intersection of agriculture and climate change.”

Working with national agricultural organizations, private-sector businesses, NGO’s and academic institutions, Laura and Sara have played a major role in shaping U.S. thinking about the role that agriculture can play in helping to sequester carbon and offset greenhouse gas emissions from utilities, manufacturing and refineries.

Among other efforts they have spearheaded at The Clark Group, Laura and Sara have help create the Agricultural Carbon Market Working Group, a national consortium comprised of national farm leaders from all three major commodities, the biofuels industry, and other key agricultural stakeholders (www.agcarbonmarkets.com).

Laura and Sara join the existing owners and partners in The Clark Group:

Ray Clark, former Associate Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army; Brian Kuehl, former Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to U.S. Senator Max Baucus; and Chris Conrad, former U.S. Army tank brigade commander and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Policy Division.

Ray Clark Provides Expert Testimony on NEPA and Genetically Modified Organisms

March 13, 2008

The Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee requested Ray Clark provide testimony at a hearing on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) with respect to the regulation of genetically modified organisms.

One of the critical issues addressed during the hearing was USDA’s obligations under NEPA to analyze economic impacts on farmers resulting from a USDA decision to deregulate and / or permit field testing of genetically modified organisms. Mr. Clark testified that USDA has a responsibility to take a “hard look” at the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of its decisions in the NEPA analytical process. At the hearing, Mr. Clark stated, “There is a very strong case here for the linkage between the biophysical environment and the social and economic well-being of the farming community at large. The linkage between environmental, social, and economic effects is precisely the kind of analysis that Congress intended with the [NEPA] statute and it is precisely the kind of linkage that CEQ saw when the [NEPA] regulations were drafted in 1979.”

Mr. Clark also provided recommendations on opportunities for USDA to promote better decision-making through NEPA, including on the use of programmatic analyses and an ecosystem approach to analyses that includes environmental monitoring and adaptive management.

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