I’d like to take a moment to briefly highlight an upcoming event at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (my law school alma mater).  The event, hosted by the University and held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kansas City, will feature a number of interesting speakers all focusing upon the them of “Expanding Business Opportunities in Energy.”

The keynote speaker will be R. James Woolsey, a former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  Director Woolsey has been a very active advocate for energy security in the United States in recent years.  His list of accomplishments is quite long, but a few examples of his involvement include helping found the Set America Free Coalition, dedicated to freeing the United States from oil dependence. He is also on the board of directors for the electric vehicle advocacy group Plug In America and an advisor to The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a think tank focused on energy security.  Most recently, Director Woolsey co-founded the United States Energy Security Council, a group with the goal of hlighting and promoting a fresh approach to solving America’s dependence on foreign sources of oil.

In addition to Director Woolsey, the conference will feature such distinguished speakers as Chairman Kevin D. Gunn of the Missouri Public Service Commission, Chairman Mark Sievers of the Kansas Corporation Commission, David Cozad and Mark Smith from EPA Region 7, Frank Rukavina, the Director of Sustainability of NREL, and many others.

The event will be held on May 10.  Registration is $245 for attorneys and other professionals requiring CLE credit, $195 for energy company employees, and $150 for employees of non-profits, government agencies, or educational institutions.  Registration information is available at the University website.