Greening the Budget: Making Environmental and Fiscal Responsibility a Priority

In September 2009, G20-leaders agreed to eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels. These subsidies encourage wasteful consumption, reduce energy security and undermine efforts to tackle climate change. They also waste taxpayer money.
The budgetary process and current financial crisis provides a major window of opportunity that should not be wasted. This session will highlight the array of fossil fuel and environmental harmful subsidies that is in the current budget. Speakers will discuss paths forward to greening the budgets by cutting subsidies and increasing support for public goods and green programs. Given the partisan gridlock, the current financial crisis provides a major window of opportunity to make environmental and fiscal responsibility a priority.
 
Speakers:
Ryan Alexander, Taxpayers for Common Sense
Ryan Alexander joined Taxpayers for Common Sense as president in November 2006, after serving on the board for more than 7 years. Over the past two decades, Ryan has served as a non-profit advocate, manager, funder, and consultant to TCS.
 
Erich Pica, Friends of the Earth
Erich Pica has been President of Friends of the Earth (FoE) since 2009. Over the past decade, Erich has led FoE’s efforts to reform U.S. tax and budget policy related to global warming and energy.  Erich has been at the core of FoE’s fight against nuclear, oil and gas, biofuels and coal subsidies.
 
Kai Schlegelmilch, Green Budget Germany
Kai Schlegelmilch has worked on energy issues for different institutions before he joined the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety. Recently he worked in the division on hydro/wind energy/grid integration of renewable energy.