Lycoming College recently received $10,000 from the Atlantic Sunrise Community Grant program in support of the College’s Center for Energy and the Future (CEF) Speaker Series. As part of the series, Daniel Raimi will address the Lycoming College campus with a talk at 7p.m. Feb. 27 in the Jane Schultz room of the Wertz Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The Atlantic Sunrise Community Grant program, established by Williams — a natural gas transmissions pipeline company committed to being a good community neighbor and environmental steward — is intended to benefit community organizations within the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline footprint, which includes pipeline loops and compressor facilities throughout the eastern United States.

“Examining an issue from all sides is at the heart of a liberal arts education,” said Jonathan Williamson, associate professor and chair of the department of political science, as well as CEF director. “This grant will help CEF bring experts with a broad array of energy perspectives to campus and engage with our energy-minded young scholars as well as the general public. It will provide integral support to the success of this speaker series.”

In keeping with the theme of this year’s lecture series, “Marcellus Shale gas development — where we stand ten years into development, as well as what to expect during the next decade,” Raimi will address the Lycoming College community with a discussion on the fracking debate. Also the topic of his first book, Raimi will combine stories from his travels to dozens of oil and gas-producing regions with a detailed examination of key policy issues. The book was published as part of the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy book series in December 2017.

Raimi is a senior research associate at Resources for the Future and a lecturer at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. He works on a range of energy policy issues with a focus on oil and gas regulation and taxation and climate change policy. He has published in academic journals including Science, Environmental Science and Technology, Energy Policy and Journal of Economic Perspectives, popular outlets including The New Republic, Newsweek, Slate and Fortune, and presented his research for policymakers, industry and other stakeholders around the U.S. and internationally. Raimi received his master’s degree in public policy from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and his bachelor’s degree in music from Wesleyan University.

“Mr. Raimi’s understanding of the scholarly research on hydrofracturing combined with his extensive travels through every oil and gas producing region in the United States offers the Lycoming community a rich perspective on the debates surrounding fracking,” said Williamson. “His talk will consider both risks and benefits, along with, maybe most importantly, the uncertainties that remain in understanding the unconventional development of oil and gas resources and its impacts.”

Launched in fall 2017, CEF offers a broad, robust and unduplicated array of opportunities for interdisciplinary education and public discourse around energy issues. Located at a gateway to the Marcellus Shale region, CEF serves as a platform for students, faculty, researchers, business and political leaders and members of the community to engage in the nation’s ongoing conversation about energy systems of all types and their impacts on our future, whether at the local, national or global level — beyond soundbites and partisanship.

A need exists in the Marcellus Shale region for both a broadly-educated energy workforce and better-informed public conversation about energy sources, production and impacts. CEF will prepare highly qualified graduates with an understanding of both the science and sociopolitical aspects of energy, broad industry exposure and honed critical thinking skills. Furthermore, CEF will provide the wider community with deeper knowledge of energy issues and engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders. The goal of CEF is to deepen fair-minded examination of the complex and important issues surrounding energy, and the Speaker Series is the centerpiece of this community-focused program.

Read more about CEF and its Speaker Series at http://www.lycoming.edu/center-for-energy-and-the-future/. Information about the Atlantic Sunrise Community Grant program can be found at http://atlanticsunriseexpansion.com/community/grant-program/.