I would like to thank American Electric Power (Columbus, Ohio Chapter) for hosting the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE)’s  33rd annual conference in Columbus, Ohio at the Hilton Easton Hotel. This year’s theme was ”People, Profit, Planet:  An Inclusive Approach to a Bright, Reliable Energy Future.” The conference examined how the industry must balance the needs of consumers and the environment in the emerging green economy and attracted approximately 300 professionals in the energy industry.

AABE’s conferences not only promote professional development and the sharing of industry information, but also provide great networking opportunities. I was pleased that AGA took advantage of the opportunity offered by AABE to spread our message that natural gas is a clean, abundant and reliable energy source that can and should play a key role in our carbon-restrained future. This year was particularly significant for me because three outstanding speakers from AGA presented to AABE members.

Chris McGill, Managing Director, Policy Analysis presented at the “Current Energy Markets Trends” session. This workshop focused on a general overview of how these markets work and the impacts of the markets on customers.

Richard (Rich) Kolodziej, President, Natural Gas Vehicles of America, focused on the “Outlook for Oil, Natural Gas and Alternative Fuels.” Rich’s discussion covered how the energy initiatives under consideration could potentially impact all fossil fuels – asking how will oil, natural gas and alternative fuels fit into tomorrow’s energy portfolio?

Andrew Lu, Director of Operations Safety, Operations & Engineering held an informative discussion at the Operation Compliance session. This session provided an overall understanding of the compliance requirements and the challenges associated with these requirements.

Let me know if you had the opportunity to attend the conference. I look forward to your feedback. For more information on future events please visit AABE.