Graduation Date: December 2009
Degree(s): M.S. Management Science & Engineering – Energy and Environment; B.S. Management Science & Engineering – Policy and Strategy
Drew was the lead for NRDC's advocacy on the "Integrated Energy Policy Report" at the California Energy Commission. The biennial report is the Governor's formal statement on energy policy in California, and covers a large range of energy issues. Drew led the effort to influence the report on topics such as power plant retirement, emissions permits, renewable energy planning, distributed generation, building efficiency, and energy efficiency projections. He submitted comments and delivered verbal testimony to Commission staff in Sacramento. Still focusing on California, Drew analyzed the California Investor-Owned Utilities' $3.1B energy efficiency portfolio for the 2010-2012 cycle, creating a 50-page report complete with various analyses and program summaries of 400 energy efficiency programs, which NRDC will use in its advocacy on energy efficiency.
Drew also designed, implemented, and summarized a survey on energy efficiency practices in small server rooms, interviewing companies to assess the penetration and potential for efficiency in small server markets. In a research project, Drew researched the state-by-state adoption of utility "decoupling," creating a database of documents, summaries, and laws from legislatures and public utilities commissions that is now part of NRDC's institutional intelligence as it continues to advocate for decoupling across the country. He co-authored (with MAP Fellow Dylan Sullivan) Essential to Energy Efficiency, but Easy to Explain: Frequently Asked Questions about Decoupling. Other smaller projects included developing NRDC's advocacy for energy efficiency financing in California and for the use of California utilities' cap and trade auction revenue in the AB32 greenhouse gas emissions program.
"It is the most inspiring place I have ever been - the people who work there set an enormously high bar for achievement and effectiveness. I was astonished at how normal, friendly, well-balanced people could affect so much in our country. It opened my eyes to just how influential I could be in the non-profit/policy world."
Drew Bennett
"The MAP fellowships are an incredibly valuable resource for NRDC. It allows us to have a much greater impact and to participate in the training of clean energy advocates who we hope will have an even bigger positive impact as they grow into their careers."
Peter Miller, Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council