AMB. RON KIRK TALKS TRADE & TPP WITH THE COUNCIL

Ambassador Ron Kirk, former U.S. Trade Representative under President Obama, was in the Bay Area this week wearing his new hat as Co-Chairman of the Clean and Safe Energy (CASEnergy) Coalition. The Coalition advances for public discussion and debate the benefits of nuclear energy and its importance in our future energy portfolio. Bay Area Council President & CEO Jim Wunderman welcomed the Ambassador to our offices, reciprocating on the meetings held with him in Washington, D.C. when he was the Trade Representative.

A wide-ranging discussion with Kirk lasted more than one hour and covered such topics as implementation of and positive results from the trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, the depth and sophistication of labor and environmental protections included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership proposal, California’s overall energy demand requirements as the largest state in the nation, and some good-natured kibitzing regarding the SF 49ers and Dallas Cowboys (Kirk is also the former Mayor of Dallas). No bets were made, just an agreement to disagree about which team is better.