Global Warming and Energy Independence to be Focus of Congressman’s Talk
What: John B. Larson, the U.S. House member from Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Hartford and Trinity College, will speak on campus.
When: Thursday, March 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: The Washington Room in Mather Hall on the Trinity campus.
Background: Larson is a member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, a panel created in 2007 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to address the urgency and underscore the commitment of Congress to the challenges of the United States’ oil dependence and the threat of global warming. Some of the topics that Larson will address include renewable energy, cap-and-trade systems, fuel cell technology and public transportation.
Larson, of East Hartford, was elected to Congress in 1998 and is serving his fifth term. As vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, he is the fifth-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House. He is a member of the influential Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s tax code, trade policy, Social Security and Medicare.
A committed environmentalist, Larson founded the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Coalition and has introduced legislation that would invest more than $1 billion in clean, efficient fuel cell technology. He has also introduced bills to revitalize the American aerospace and aviation industries through greater research and development. Since its inception, he has been one of Congress’s most outspoken opponents of the War in Iraq.
Larson, 59, grew up in East Hartford and graduated from East Hartford High School and from Central Connecticut State University in 1971. Before his election to Congress, he was a high school history teacher and athletic coach, and was active in local and state politics.
In 1982, Larson was elected to the state Senate and was re-elected five times. He served as Senate President Pro Tempore, the chamber’s highest-ranking member, from 1987 to 1995.
The event, which is co-sponsored by ConnPIRG and Trinity’s Green Campus group, is free and open to the campus and the community. There will be an opportunity to ask Larson questions.