Latin American leaders in energy and the environment meet at the Jackson School of Geosciences

September 19, 2005

Event: “Revitalizing Partnerships in Energy and the Environment” is a forum convening energy executives, international funding representatives, and ministers of energy and the environment from 14 Latin American countries, meeting at The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences.

When: Sept. 19-20, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Where: San Jacinto Hall, The University of Texas at Austin campus.

Who may attend: This event is not open to the public, but representatives of the media interested in interviewing participants should contact J.B. Bird at 512-573-5390, jbird@jsg.utexas.edu. Results of the meeting will be posted to the Jackson School of Geosciences Web site.

Background: The two-day forum brings together public and private sector leaders from 14 Latin American countries and the United States to discuss areas for collaboration on energy and the environment. Speakers include

• Allan Flores Moya, vice minister of energy and environment for Costa Rica, on Costa Rica's alternative energy programs.
• Honorable John Briceño, deputy prime minister of Belize, on cooperative programs for environmental investigations.
• Armando Zamora, director of the National Hydrocarbons Agency of Colombia, on new institutional models for managing hydrocarbon resources.
• Gordon Weynand, energy team leader of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), on USAID's priorities in Latin America.
• Scott Tinker, director of the Jackson School's Bureau of Economic Geology, on the school's program in unconventional gas and carbon dioxide sequestration.

The list of participants includes eight Latin American ministers and agency directors of the environment and nine ministers and agency directors of energy. They will meet with policy experts, research scientists, and executives from major energy firms operating in Latin America.

For a complete list of participants and the forum agenda see the program booklet (Adobe pdf).

For more information contact J.B. Bird at the Jackson School, jbird@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-232-9623.