Keynote Speakers

Keynote Presentations, Monday, September 22, 2003

The Honorable Byron L. Dorgan, U.S. Senator (D-North Dakota) Senator Dorgan was reelected to the U.S. Senate in November 1998 by an overwhelming majority after serving one term in the U.S. Senate and six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Throughout his career in both the House and Senate, Dorgan has fought for the interests of rural America. Dorgan has also been a leader in the fight to protect our most important priorities: Social Security, Medicare, education, and the environment. He is the ranking member of the Senate Interior Committee, serves as Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, Assistant Democratic Floor Leader, ex officio, and is a member of the Appropriations; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; and Indian Affairs Committees.

Jeffrey R. Holmstead, Assistant Administrator for Air & Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Jeffrey Holmstead is in charge of all activities at EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, including programs addressing global climate change, industrial and vehicle pollution, acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion, radiation protection and, of course, indoor air quality. Before joining EPA, he served from 1989 to 1993 as Associate Counsel to the President in the White House of President George H.W. Bush, where he primarily focused on environmental policy and issues, including the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. From 1993 until his EPA appointment, he practiced law at the Washington Firm of Latham & Watkins, where he focused on a number of environmental issues, including many arising under the Clean Air Act.

Luncheon Keynote Address, Monday, September 22, 2003

Rita A. Bajura, Director, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
Rita Bajura is the Director of NETL, a DOE national laboratory that conducts research spanning DOE's science, energy, national security, and environmental quality missions. As NETL Director, Ms. Bajura oversees the implementation of major science and technology development programs in fossil energy and environmental technologies, including advanced power generation technologies fueled by coal, natural gas, and biomass; environmental control technologies for the existing fleet of fossil steam plants; ultraclean fuels for the transportation sector; technologies to enhance the efficiency and environmental quality of domestic oil production; natural gas exploration, production, and processing; and environmental technologies to clean up DOE's former nuclear production sites.

Banquet Welcome and Remarks, Monday, September 22, 2003

The Honorable Kent Conrad, U.S. Senator (D-North Dakota)
Senator Conrad is ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, an expert on the budget process who has earned a national reputation as a deficit hawk for his efforts to impose discipline on the federal budget and safeguard Social Security and Medicare. A longtime member of the Agriculture Committee, he is known as an outspoken advocate for family farms and the rural communities who rely on U.S. agriculture. As a senior member of the Finance Committee, he is known for his special expertise on tax issues and his advocacy for rural health care through the Medicare program. A Bismarck native, Senator Conrad has served North Dakota in the Senate since his election in 1986.

After-Dinner Presentation, Monday, September 22, 2003

Clay S. Jenkinson humanities scholar, presented, in character, Thomas Jefferson's views on air quality and the environment. Since 1984, he has given presentations in nearly every state to thousands of gatherings, including a gala celebration of the 250th anniversary of Jefferson's birth at a White House event hosted by President and Mrs. Clinton at Monticello. He appeared in and was a major contributor to Ken Burns' series, Thomas Jefferson, and is working to complete his own biography of Jefferson. Dr. Jenkinson is a writer, cultural commentator, public radio personality, storyteller, and humorist.

Luncheon Remarks, Tuesday, September 23, 2003

The Honorable Earl Pomeroy, Representative in Congress (D-North Dakota)
Representative Pomeroy was elected to Congress in 1993. He is currently a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Rural Health Coalition, cochair of the Democratic Task Force on Social Security, and cochair of the bipartisan rural caucus. Pomeroy served four terms on the House Agriculture Committee, three terms on the Budget Committee, and one term on the International Relations Committee.