James Tate, Jr., Ph.D., heads the Center for Environmental Economics and Ethics at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He sees a variety of opportunities for the CEEE to contribute to the Institute's Bold Ideas 2010 initiative.  Dr. Tate writes: "The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (PIPS) held a seminar on The Color of our Economy: Why Green Resources must be Valued in the Next Administration at the National Zoological Park on September 9th, 2008.  Later that year PIPS participated in the 9th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment: Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World held by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE).  Policy recommendations from both meetings were provided to policy makers nationwide, including to the incoming Obama Administration.

"As a follow-up to the NCSE conference we have just received the announcement of a collaborative effort for a web-based solicitation of research questions that it is hoped would increase the effectiveness of policies related to conservation and resource management. The program, titled 'America's Top 40 Research Priorities for Conservation Policy' can be found at www.NCSEonline.org/Top40.

"The Potomac Institute’s Center for Environmental Economics and Ethics has already submitted a question related to establishing dedicated funding sources for research in natural resource issues.  Close coordination of the PIPS Bold Ideas 2010 program with the Top 40 Research Priorities collaborative is expected to promote both programs.  CEEE will be monitoring the results of the Top 40 collaborative for appropriate subjects for Bold Ideas 2010."