Publications and Media Coverage

Opinion pieces written by JHCGA President David Wendt appear frequently in the Casper Star Tribune, Wyoming's largest newspaper, and other newspapers in the state. These articles, which follow, represent the views of Dr. Wendt and not necessarily those of JHCGA:

"'Cap and Trade' is Wyo's best bet," Casper Star Tribune, December 12, 2010

"Anathematizing the assassins," Casper Star Tribune, January 16, 2011

"Celebrating Egypt's achievement," Casper Star Tribune, February 20, 2011

"Saving Red, White, and Blue Energy Jobs," Wyofile, March 2011

"Are we on a road to nowhere with coal?" Casper Star Tribune, June 5, 2011

"Let's learn from Mortensen's mistakes," Jackson Hole News and Guide, June 22, 2011

"Will sustainable energy be youth's next revolution?" Casper Star Tribune, July 31, 2011

"A bribe by any other name," Casper Star Tribune, October 23, 2011

"Looking for tax fairness in all the wrong places," Casper Star Tribune, January 15, 2012

Other recent JHCGA press coverage includes the following:

Todd Wilkinson, "Will Wyoming Lead or be a Resource Colony," Jackson Hole News and Guide, March 30, 2011

Brielle Schaeffer, "Resident to give talk at China conference," Jackson Hole News and Guide, September 7, 2011

Todd Wilkinson, "The World Comes to Jackson Hole," Jackson Hole Magazine, Winter 2012

Clean Coal: U.S.-China Cooperation in Energy Security

May 2008
The United States and China are in dire need of secure energy solutions that can keep pace with their huge appetites for energy. Enter coal. Both countries possess abundant coal reserves measured in the hundreds of billions of tons. But the approach to coal policy has been one favoring cheap extraction rather than taking into serious consideration the societal costs of coal. For the United States, coal represents a major source of electrical power - and a major source of pollution. In China, the accessibility of coal has swept aside the environmental and health arguments against its widespread use.

These issues have triggered much controversy within policy circles and among the broader public in both China and the United States. As this paper points out, they have now also begun to enter into the policy dialogue between U.S. and Chinese policy experts concerned with promoting U.S.-China cooperation on these subjects. But the heavy lifting of real technology transfer has yet to begin. This work includes policy coordination, research partnerships, and joint project development. How does coal fit into the strategies of the United States and China to attain energy security while avoiding adverse environmental impacts? What comparative advantages do both countries have and how should these comparative advantages guide their future investments in climate mitigation strategies and clean coal technologies? Most importantly, what is the role of bilateral cooperation in assuring a peaceful and sustainable outcome to this process?

The author of this paper, David Wendt, is well-positioned to address these questions. Wendt co-founded the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs in 2002 and has been its president since that time. For over three decades he has been a leader in promoting efforts to build awareness and consensus on global policy issues. The Jackson Hole Center has organized a clean coal partnership between Wyoming and Shanxi province, the two largest coal-producers in their respective countries.

Carbon, Climate and Cooperation

As part of its coalmine methane project in China, JHCGA invited the chief energy correspondent of theCasper Star-Tribune, Dustin Bleizeffer, to participate in the 2009 Sino-U.S. New Energy Sci-Tech Forum and Conference on Coalmine Recovery and Utilization, held in February 2009 in Jincheng, China. The Star-Tribune is Wyoming's largest newspaper.

Upon Mr. Bleizeffer's return from Jincheng, the Star-Tribune featured Mr. Bleizeffer's articles in three consecutive days of front page coverage. The Star-Tribune also published a full-page editorial, endorsing Wyoming-China cooperation on cleaner coal and JHCGA's leadership in promoting such cooperation. Links to the articles and editorial (last link) follow.

March 21, 2009: Carbon, climate and cooperation

March 21, 2009: Assignment: China

March 22, 2009: Methane's menace

March 22, 2009: Mine safety drives methane efforts

March 23, 2009: Getting down to business

March 23, 2009: Methane efforts could qualify for carbon credits

March 23, 2009: Wyoming, China linked by coal opportunities

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in China: 17 minute documentary film of coal methane meeting organized by JHCGA in Jincheng, China, February 2009

On Earth Day, Remember JH's Special Place in World

April 22, 2009
Bozeman, MT-based journalist Todd Wilkinson devoted his Earth Day 2009 Jackson Hole News & Guide column to JHCGA's efforts to assist China in reducing carbon emissions from coal.

Author Urges Support for Education of Girls

April 9, 2008
In April 2008 Greg Mortenson, author of the award winning "Three Cups of Tea" came to Jackson and told his story about his involvement with education in Afghanistan. Speaking to a standing room only audience at Snow King, the author of "Three Cups of Tea" explained his belief that education is key in the effort to end poverty and war.

Delegation to China Eyes Sister City Status

October-November 2007
Johanna Love, a reporter for the Jackson Hole News and Guide, was one of 18 members of a Goodwill Mission from Wyoming that visited China's Shanxi province in October 2007. The trip was organized by the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs and led by Mark Barron, mayor of Jackson, and Gene Bryan, chair of the Wyoming Tourism and Travel Board. The group visited Wutai Mountain, China's holiest Buddhist mountain site, and other cultural sites throughout the province. They met with provincial leaders to explore a sister city relationship between Jackson and Wutai Mountain and to explore other common interests in cultural exchange, the promotion of tourism, and cultural and historical preservation.

October 24, 2007: Delegation to China eyes sister-city status

October 31, 2007: Wide-eyed in China

November 7, 2007: Taking care of business

Memorandum of Understanding between the Town of Jackson, the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs, Shanxi Provincial Tourism Administration, Mt. Wutai Administrative Bureau, Xinzhou District and the Taiyuan Vocational Institute of Tourism.

Jackson is Finding Role on World Stage

September 2006
Over a period of five weeks in the Jackson Hole News & Guide, national environmental journalist Todd Wilkinson of Bozeman wrote a series of columns analyzing the emerging role of Wyoming in global discussions about energy, clean coal technology and climate change. In September, he accompanied a delegation of officials from the U.S. and the Jackson Hole Center For Global Affairs to attend the U.S.-China Clean Coal Forum in the Chinese city of Taiyuan, located in the province of Shanxi. He also sat in on meetings with Chinese government officials in Beijing. The following are all five of those columns.

Mr. Wilkinson has written widely on international environmental issues for publications ranging from The Christian Science Monitor to U.S. News & World Report.

Column 1: Jackson is finding role on world stage

Column 2: Can cowboy diplomats build new bridge to China?

Column 3: What is political tipping point with climate policy?

Column 4: Capturing CO2 must be part of any plan for coal

Column 5: A better future: We must try to get there from here