Former White House climate change director in Toronto, promotes a modern, clean electricity system

TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2015 /CNW/ - Carol M. Browner, former Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy for President Obama, will be visiting Toronto today to discuss the important role a modern, clean electricity system, including existing nuclear facilities, plays in tackling climate change and reducing the carbon pollution in the air we breathe.

The visit, hosted by the Asthma Society of Canada, Pollution Probe, the Council of the Great Lakes Region, Bruce Power, the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals, will include meetings with policymakers, a speech to the Empire Club of Canada and a roundtable with industry, organized labour and environmental groups to discuss tackling climate change.

"I'm very pleased to be visiting Ontario to discuss the important issue of tackling climate change by securing clean sources of electricity, especially as leaders from around the world prepare to gather in Paris later this month to consider an agreement to reduce carbon pollution globally," said Ms. Browner, who was also the longest serving administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. "It's very appropriate to be having this discussion in Ontario where the electricity system is virtually emissions-free thanks to a combination of electricity from nuclear, hydro and renewables. Ontario's success in generating carbon-free electricity could serve as a model for other cities and regions around the world."

As a member of the Advisory Council for Nuclear Matters, Ms. Browner is also an advocate for the role that the existing nuclear fleet plays as part of a balanced, clean electricity supply, and earlier this month she attended a White House Summit on Nuclear Energy that underscored the Obama Administration's commitment to help fight climate change with the help of the existing U.S. nuclear plants.

The address to the Empire Club of Canada will be webcast live around 12:45 p.m. EST today and can be viewed at www.vvcnetwork.ca/empireclub/20151112/.

About Carol Browner

Carol M. Browner is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at American Progress and senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. Ms. Browner also serves on the League of Conservation Voters board, the Bunge Limited board of directors, the Global Ocean Commission, and Opower's advisory board.

She is also an Advisory Council Member of Nuclear Matters, which is a U.S.-based organization advocating for the role nuclear plays as part of a balanced electricity supply mix.

Ms. Browner most recently served as assistant to President Barack Obama as director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, where she oversaw the coordination of environmental, energy, climate, transport and related policies across the federal government. During her tenure, the White House secured the largest investment ever in clean energy and established a national car policy that included both new automobile fuel-efficiency standards and the first-ever greenhouse gas reductions.

From 1993 to 2001, Browner served as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. As administrator, she adopted the most stringent air pollution standards in U.S. history, set a fine-particle clean air standard for the first time, and spearheaded the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water and the Food Quality Protection Acts.

She was known for working with both environmentalists and industry to set science-based public health protections while providing businesses with important flexibilities in how to meet those standards. She worked across the agency to ensure a focus on protecting the most vulnerable, particularly children.

About Asthma Society of Canada
The Asthma Society of Canada (ASC) is a national, charitable, volunteer-supported organization solely devoted to enhancing the quality of life and health for people living with asthma and associated allergies through education and research. Since its inception in 1974, the ASC provides a variety of asthma education and awareness programs, funds many research projects (to gain a better understanding of the disease and how it can be better managed) and has gained a reputation for providing high-quality asthma education and information to Canadians.

About Pollution Probe
Pollution Probe is a Canadian charitable environmental organization that is a leading agent of change at the intersection of communities, health and environment. Since 1969, it has been defining environmental problems through research, promoting understanding through education and pressing for practical solutions through advocacy. It is a partnership-building organization that engages government agencies, private businesses and other non-profit organizations that have a legitimate interest in finding solutions.

About Council of the Great Lakes Region
Established in 2013, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) is an independent, non-profit corporation that was created to think strategically about the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region as a bi-national economic region. It mobilizes business leaders, lawmakers, government executives and policy specialists, academia and advocates from non-governmental organizations in accelerating regional economic growth safely and sustainably. The Council achieves this mandate by building innovative partnerships, convening thought-provoking events that stimulate conversations and ideas, conducting insightful research and generating sensible policy solutions. The CGLR also provides impartial advice to governments and legislatures.

About The Society of Energy Professionals
The Society of Energy Professionals represents more than 8,000 professional employees in the electricity industry in Ontario, including engineers, scientists, supervisors and finance specialists. Originally formed in 1948, The Society advocates for long-term, evidence-based planning and decision-making in the energy sector. A democratic organization, members of The Society vote on everything from the organization's constitution and dues increases to collective agreements and budgets.

About the Power Workers' Union
The PWU, one of Canada's strongest, most democratic and progressive unions, is a knowledgeable and experienced player in the energy sector. It is committed to delivering a promising future for its membership and continuing to help keep the lights on for all Ontarians. The PWU represents over 15,000 men and women (about 70% of the unionized electricity workers in the province) working in Ontario's generating stations, transmission and distribution lines and system control facilities.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates the world's largest operating nuclear generating facility and is the source of roughly 30 per cent of Ontario's electricity. The company's site in Tiverton, ON, is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power's employees are also owners in the business.

SOURCE Bruce Power

John Peevers - 519-361-6583 - [email protected]