Small Biz hearing: 10 AM Climate Change solutions

[TayTay]

From the web site: http://sbc.senate.gov/index.cfm

Click the above link to hear the audio for this hearing. (Video would be a plus!)

Below is the participant for the hearing titled "Small Business Solutions for Combating Climate Change."

Senator Barbara Boxer
Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
http://epw.senate.gov/public/

Mr. Dan Horowitz
Assistant Administrator for Policy and Planning, U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org/sba/sba.html

Mr. Bill Wehrum
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/smallbusiness/

Mr. Byron Kennard
Executive Director, Center for Small Business and the Environment
http://www.geocities.com/aboutcsbe/

Mr. Jim Barber
President and CEO, Metabolix
http://ir.metabolix.com/management.cfm

Mr. Chris Lynch
Director, Environmental Management Assistance Program, Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers
http://www.pasbdc.org/what/consulting/emap/default.asp

Mr. David Goldstein
Co-Director, National Resources Defense Council's Energy Program
http://www.nrdc.org/air/default.asp

Mr. Scott Hauge
Vice President, National Small Business Association; Founder, Small Business California
http://www.nsba.biz/resources/

I added all the links, cuz, ahm, I could.

[TayTay]

1. This is on now

There is a really good panel of witnesses and this time, the hearing has video! (Oooh.)

[whometense]

2. I'm embarrassed to have to admit

that I'm looking, but not listening.

WBCN is bleeding - LOUDLY - into my speakers, so I can't listen to anything on my office computer. Sigh.

But he looks good.

[TayTay]

3. Okay, that open-mike moment was cool

There was a period between the panelists taking their places wherein Sens. Snowe and Kerry had a very frank exchange over how frustrating it is to get things done in the bureaucracy.

Cool!

[karynnj]

4. That was great

At the end, I think Kerry and Snowe didn't realize the mike was still on. Kerry spoke of hating bureaucracy, and saying it was sad, lost opportunity. Snowe was agreeing with him.

Second Panel now.

[Mass]

5. It will be interesting to listen to the file once it is archived.

Kerry and Snowe both argued with the SBA person (who was less than cooperative).

Once the panel was finished, they forgot to close the mike. You could hear the total frustration of both of them about this person.

ON edit: OK, I think we all agree on this open-mike moment.

[karynnj]

6. This guy speaking of natural made plastics is fantastic

Scientists are soooo much better than Bush administrators!

[beachmom]

7. Somebody did a liveblogging diary

I wish I had seen it to give the person more mojo. Oh well, nice to see somebody on Kos noticed what a great hearing it was:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/8/105245/0094

[karynnj]

8. I recommended, but it seemed futile to comment

They did a reasonable job on the first panel - capturing that the SBA people were beyond pathetic and looking for less obvious ways to admit they were doing nothing.

The diarist simply said the second panel was "boring". I thought the second panel was incredible and and a breath of fresh air, reality, brilliance and hope after the MBA type "buzz words" of the the SBA people. I agreed with both Snowe and Kerry who made comments like they wished some of the administration people had stayed for that part and that this panel should have been first. (I especially liked the Cambridge, MA scientist who was looking to create plastics from things like switch grass or corn, rather than oil. )

The contrast was amazing to me - these experts were alive, visibily excited with their work and enjoyed thinking about and answering questions. At one point, Kerry joked after Snowe questioned one of them, about how close him and Snowe's opinions were on all of this.

I think the difference is that I was fascinated by the scientists. The diarist was more interested in fireworks against the administration.