Mr. Forrister will become a Managing Director of Natsource in its new Boulder, CO office, where he will focus on the development of greenhouse gas markets worldwide. Mr. Forrister will bring to Natsource extensive experience in domestic clean air and global climate change policy. He served from 1997 to 1999 as a senior US government representative to the international global climate change negotiations and more recently as an environmental advocate with Environmental Defense. Mr. Forrister has helped a number of multinational businesses evaluate ways to make voluntary greenhouse gas reductions using emissions trading.
Mr. Forrister will assist Natsource and its global client base in structuring and executing emissions trades. He will lend expertise to Natsource’s policy consulting and advisory services for global energy and environmental risk management. He will also provide strategic direction for the firm.
“We’re really looking forward to adding Dirk Forrister to our team,” said Jack Cogen, President of Natsource. “His experience both in domestic and international climate change arenas during his time at the White House and at the Department of Energy will prove invaluable to our clients in the development of their greenhouse gas strategies.
Most recently, Mr. Forrister served as the Energy Program Manager at Environmental Defense (formerly Environmental Defense Fund) as well as acting as an integral member of its Global Climate Change Team. He managed a staff of lawyers, economists and scientists working in key states and at the federal level to advance new incentives to stimulate investment in clean energy technologies. On climate change, he worked to build support for the international emissions trading solution to global warming.
Prior to his work at Environmental Defense, Mr. Forrister acted as the Chairman of the White House Climate Change Task Force. His responsibilities included working with industry to facilitate greenhouse gas emissions reductions, appearing before Congress to advance the Presidents climate change action plan, and participating in the formulation of U.S. government policy positions for global climate change negotiations.
Before joining the Task Force, Mr. Forrister was appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for Congressional, Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy. His responsibilities included communicating legislative priorities to Congress, states, press and constituencies for the $17 billion dollar agency.
“Dirk and I were colleagues in the Department of Energy, where we worked together to develop markets to address clean air and climate change." said Richard Rosenzweig, Managing Director of Natsource. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Dirk again and believe he is a terrific addition to Natsource.” While at DOE, Forrister and Rosenzweig worked closely with industry and environmental groups to create the "Climate Challenge" program, a voluntary effort by over 600 power companies to reduce emissions using a flexible array of methods.
Mr. Forrister ‘s gained additional experience as a German Marshall Fund Environmental Fellow in 1992, which gave him the opportunity to tour Europe to research the use of market-based policies to improve greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner. Mr. Forrister also worked as the legislative assistant and counsel for Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN), where he advised on the formation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, in particular the acid rain trading program. He also advised Rep. Cooper on the Energy Policy Act of 1992, in which he helped craft the voluntary greenhouse gas reporting program.
Mr. Forrister received his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communications from David Lipscomb University.
