Alliance to Save Energy Elects New Board Members: U.S. Rep. Steve Israel; Johns Manville’s Michael Lawrence; PG&E’s William Morrow | Alliance to Save Energy

Alliance to Save Energy Elects New Board Members: U.S. Rep. Steve Israel; Johns Manville’s Michael Lawrence; PG&E’s William Morrow

The Alliance to Save Energy News

Alliance to Save Energy Elects New Board Members: U.S. Rep. Steve Israel; Johns Manville’s Michael Lawrence; PG&E’s William Morrow

Release Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Washington, D.C., April 2008 – The Alliance to Save Energy welcomes three new directors to its Board, each of whom brings unique experience and qualities that will enhance the Board’s effectiveness in advancing energy efficiency worldwide.

The new Board members are Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.); Michael Lawrence, vice president and general manager for Insulation Systems for Johns Manville; and William (Bill) T. Morrow, president and CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), ), the utility subsidiary of PG&E Corporation.

The addition of Rep. Israel to the Alliance Board brings the ranks of its congressional vice-chairs to eight – four U.S. senators and four U.S. representatives – in addition to the seat held by Honorary Chair Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). In keeping with the Alliance’s founding 31 years ago by two sitting U.S. senators, one from each side of the aisle, the Board has generally included both Democrats and Republicans from the Senate and House.

Alliance President Kateri Callahan observed, “Like Sen. Pryor and our other honorary vice-chairs, Rep. Israel is a legislator, not a partisan, as demonstrated by his 2005 founding of the ‘House Center Aisle Caucus’ to establish respectful dialogue on contentious issues among House members.

“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Water,” Callahan continued, “Rep. Israel advocates tirelessly for adequate federal funding for energy-efficiency programs and is a congressional leader on energy security issues and on funding of advanced technology initiatives to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.”

Rep. Israel said, “I am pleased and honored to serve as an honorary vice-chair of the Alliance to Save Energy, whose mission meshes so well with my work as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. That includes my ‘Next Generation Energy Security Initiative,’ which replaces 30 years of back-steps, missteps, and small steps on energy with one giant leap towards energy independence. ”

Lawrence is a senior executive within Johns Manville, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of premium-quality building insulation, commercial roofing, roof insulation, and specialty products for commercial, industrial, and residential applications.

“The addition of Michael Lawrence to the Alliance Board ensures prominent representation for the insulation industry, with which the Alliance works so closely on key issues such as energy-efficiency tax incentives and building codes,” Callahan said. “Mike is enthusiastic about becoming a member of our Board, and we believe he will be a stalwart and effective advocate for the Alliance and its mission.”

“I am honored to join the Alliance Board of Directors, not only as a representative of Johns Manville, but also as a voice for the insulation industry, which plays such an important role in increasing the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings. With buildings accounting for about 40 percent of U.S. energy use, they offer a significant opportunity for increasing our nation’s energy efficiency,” Lawrence said.

Morrow heads PG&E, a long-standing Alliance Associate (member organization) and one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States, providing electricity and natural gas to approximately 15 million Californians, nearly one in 20 Americans.

“PG&E has a long history of leadership in energy efficiency in the utility sector,” Callahan observed. “Bill Morrow is focused on ensuring that PG&E continues to maximize opportunities to help Californians realize their environmental and energy savings goals through aggressive and innovative energy efficiency programs. Bill’s significant experience in management and in foreign markets will serve the Alliance well.”

“I welcome the challenge and the opportunity of serving on the Alliance Board and raising the profile of the utility sector in furthering energy efficiency,” Morrow said. “I am proud to represent PG&E, a long-time supporter of the Alliance, at a time when consumers and businesses alike face the challenge of rising energy costs and the need to curtail carbon emissions.”

“I extend a warm welcome and my personal congratulations to the new Alliance Board members, and I thank them in advance for their service,” said Sen. Pryor. “And while I have a special welcome for my Capitol Hill colleague, Rep. Steve Israel, I know that Mike Lawrence and Bill Morrow, too, will bring distinctive and valuable perspectives to the Board and to the mission of promoting energy efficiency.”

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