Energy Council

By MICHELLE J. WILSON

Sen. "Walking" Wendell Mitchell (D.-Luverne) has been elected chairman of the Energy Council, an international legislative energy policy organization.

Mitchell is a veteran member of the Alabama Senate and dean of Jones School of Law.

The Energy Council is comprised of elected legislators from 10 energy-producing states, as well as two international affiliates, said Lori Cameron, executive director of the Energy Council. The states, which range from Alabama to Alaska, represent about 85 percent of the energy produced in the U.S.

"It is an honor to be selected by my legislative peers from around the nation, especially for a year in which we will revise our National Energy Strategy," Mitchell said. "These efforts will give us a chance to highlight domestic energy resources like oil, natural gas and coal, all of which are important to the Alabama economy."

Mitchell’s plan for the year calls for the Energy Council to deal with issues relating to domestic energy markets and the dynamics of the international energy market, as well as energy and the environment. He currently serves as chairman of the Alabama Senate Business and Labor Committee and deputy chair of the Finance Committee, and Mitchell brings 15 years of legislative experience to this position as chairman of the Energy Council.

Mitchell also announced that Alabama will host the Energy Council in Orange Beach next fall for the group’s 2000 Annual Meeting. Designated as the "Millennium Meeting," the Energy Council will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Alabama in September of next year.