McCarthy Center hosts lecture on environmental policy

(March 10) - Please note: Due to the cancellation of one debate participant, the McCarthy Center will host a lecture by Chris Horner titled “The Free-Market: Best Suited to Protect the Environment” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at Pellegrene Auditorium, Saint John’s University.

A debate on environmental policy is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at Pellegrene Auditorium, Saint John’s University.

The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University sponsors the debate, “Be it resolved that the free-market is best suited to protect the environment.” The event is free and open to the public.

Speaking on the affirmative side is Christopher Horner, a best-selling author and a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). 

He is the author of the book, “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism” (Regnery, 2007), which spent half of 2007 on the New York Times bestseller list. As an attorney in Washington, D.C., Horner has represented CEI as well as scientists and members of the U.S. House and Senate on matters of environmental policy in the federal courts, including the Supreme Court. He has also been targeted by Greenpeace by stealing his garbage on a weekly basis, among other issues.

Speaking against the resolution will be Denis McDonough, a 1992 Saint John’s graduate who is a senior fellow and senior advisor to senior fellow Tom Daschle at the Center for American Progress.

Prior to joining American Progress, McDonough was legislative director for Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar. From July 2000 to December 2004, he was foreign policy adviser to Daschle while Daschle was serving in the U.S. Senate. In that role, McDonough  worked extensively on legislation related to the war on terrorism, the response to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, Iraq and the greater Middle East. McDonough is also senior advisor to Democratic Presidential candidate, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Four CSB and SJU students will be selected at a later date to participate alongside the experts in the debate, two on each side.

The McCarthy Center involves students of all political parties and seeks to promote civil discourse regarding public policy. The center sponsors student-based civic engagement opportunities including study tours, internships and conference participation. The center’s Web site: csbsju.edu/publicpolicy