On Wednesday, January 8, 2014, at 7 pm, the Climate Change Coalition will meet at Bjorklunden for a presentation by Roy Thilly about energy challenges and opportunities in addressing climate change. With a primary focus on Wisconsin, Thilly will reveal where we are in terms of emissions versus targets, where we seem to be headed, and what key policy choices need to be made. He will touch briefly on Wisconsin’s changing emissions profile, the reasons why there are no silver bullets, and what more can be done.

Thilly brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Climate Change Coalition efforts. He served from 1992 to 2011 as President and CEO of WPPI Energy, a regional power company owned by 51 municipal and cooperative electric utilities in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Iowa. Prior to WPPI, he practiced law in Madison for 17 years. He currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the regulatory body that assesses challenges to the long term reliability and adequacy of the electric system and sets and enforces standards for the bulk electric system in the U.S., Canada and a portion of Mexico. In 2007-8, he co-chaired Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force and represented Wisconsin interests in negotiation of the Midwest Governors Association’s Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord. He currently serves as President of The Ridges Sanctuary, was Past Chair of Cool Choices, Inc., a Wisconsin NGO focused on fostering voluntary greenhouse gas emission reductions through a variety of programs, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Gathering Waters Conservancy. He and his wife, Mary, live in Baileys Harbor.