The week ahead: World Bank, IMF to push climate action, Senate moves on nominees, and more

{mosads}They both appeared with little fanfare before the panel last month alongside a much more controversial nominee: Ron Binz, President Obama’s former choice to run the federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Binz, facing almost impossible odds, threw in the towel last week.

But the former Colorado utility regulator is making sure his side of the story is heard for the history books. Click here to learn what he told Platts Energy Week TV in an interview that aired Sunday.

On Thursday a House Natural Resources Committee panel will hold a hearing titled “EPA vs. American Mining Jobs: The Obama Administration’s Regulatory Assault on the Economy.”

Separately, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will host a forum with several foreign officials designed to build support for expanding U.S. natural-gas exports.

The event will allow lawmakers to “hear a broad range of international perspectives on U.S. [liquefied natural gas] exports, the current policies governing these exports, and the potential impacts increasing exports would have on global markets.”

It will include Yasushi Akahoshi, a senior Japanese energy official.

The Japanese government and several business groups are pressing the U.S. Energy Department to speed approval of gas exports. Japan is seeking new sources of energy as its nuclear plants remain offline following the 2011 tsunami.

Off Capitol Hill, Tuesday will bring a major IMF and World Bank event on “The Economic Case for Climate Action.”

“World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector discuss low-carbon, climate-resilient development,” an advisory states.

Also Tuesday, the Bipartisan Policy Center will hold a forum that explores: “How Will Expanded Natural Gas Production Affect Climate Change Mitigation?”

Click here for the agenda.

And Tuesday the think tank Resources for the Future will hold a forum to present its latest research on how a federal carbon tax could work.

It will explore topics including ways to address concerns of energy-intensive industries that face heavy international competition.

This post was updated at 12:04 a.m.