Sean Casten
| Sean Casten | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1971 |
| 🏫 Education | Middlebury College (BA) Dartmouth University (MSEM) Dartmouth University (MS) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 🏛️ Political party | Democratic |
| 🌐 Website | Campaign website |
Sean Casten (born November 23, 1971) is an American scientist, clean energy entrepreneur and advocate, author, and politician. He is the Democratic Party's nominee for the House of Representatives for Illinois’ 6th District in the 2018 election.[1]
Education
Casten earned a BA in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College in 1993, and then worked for two years as a scientist at the Tufts School of Medicine in a laboratory investigating dietary impacts on colon and breast cancer.[2]
In 1998, he earned a Masters of Engineering Management and an MS in Biochemical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. While at Dartmouth, he worked to develop technologies for alternative heat and power generation technologies including the production of fuel grade ethanol.[2] Casten is currently a member of Thayer School’s Corporate Collaboration Council.[3]
Career
Casten began his career working as a clean energy consultant and manager at Arthur D Little, an energy practice with a focus on clean technology. From 2000 to 2006, he served as the president and CEO of Turbosteam Corporation, which focused on utilizing energy recycling technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emission by generating heat and power from previously wasted energy.[4]
In 2006, Casten founded Recycled Energy Development (RED) and served as CEO along with his father Tom Casten, who served as Chairman. They focused on recycling wasted energy and converting energy facilities to cleaner, more economic uses.[5][6][7] RED was a leading company in the United States in the attempt to make profitable use of waste heat capturing technology, an avenue of electricity generation that has been attracting interest from a number of startup companies looking to find a "breakthrough" in the technology, including Alphabet.[8][9] The company was acquired by Ironclad Energy Partners in 2016.[10][11]
Civic Engagement and Advocacy
Casten was a founding chairman of the Northeast CHP Initiative[12], a non-profit advocacy organization with a mission to advance policies that favor energy efficiency in the northeast United States.[13] He also participated in crafting the bill that became the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a program in the Northeast United States that attempts to use market forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[14] Due to advocacy for clean energy policies and technology, Casten was named to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Emerging Leaders Class of 2011.[15]
Casten has authored a number of articles on clean energy technologies and the United States electricity grid[16][17][18] as well as energy policy & regulation.[19][20][21][22]
Congressional Campaign and Issues
Casten announced his intention to run for Congress in September 2017 and defeated six other contenders in the 2018 Democratic primary to become the party's candidate for Illinois' 6th district.[23][24] His opponent is the incumbent Republican Peter Roskam, who is seeking his seventh term in office. Casten has received endorsements from organizations including the Illinois AFL-CIO, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, and the Illinois Education Association.[25][26][27]
The 6th district contest was listed as a "race to watch" in 2018 by ABC News, Politico, and other news sources, as the incumbent is a prominent Republican whose district was carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.[28][29]
Political Positions
Healthcare
Casten advocates for defending and expanding the Affordable Care Act with a focus on "fixing the flaws in the ACA exchanges to ensure they remain available and solvent." His position includes restoring the individual mandate and allowing all Americans to opt into Medicare, using the program as a universally-available source of essential health coverage.[30][31]
Economy and Tax Reform
Casten has stated he would vote to repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed under President Donald Trump in 2017, claiming it results in a "wealth transfer out of the 6th district." He proposes investments in the clean energy field and investments in infrastructure to create jobs in Illinois and beyond.[32][33]
Immigration Reform
Casten supports passing legislation to formally establish Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and supports passage of the DREAM Act.[34] Casten also advocates for closing private immigration detention centers, and limiting the limit the ability of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to get involved in local police issues related to immigration.[35]
As a member of the Emerging Leaders Class of 2011 for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Casten helped publish a white paper on immigration, arguing that there is a weak or even negative correlation between immigration and crime, and supporting Chicago's position as a sanctuary city.[36]
LGBTQ Rights
Casten is a vocal advocate of LGBTQ rights and supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Equality Act.[37]
Women’s Rights
Casten advocates for access to safe, legal abortions, and supports Planned Parenthood and access to birth control.[38] He has been endorsed by NARAL Pro Choice America.[39]
Casten supports the Violence Against Women Act, which provides resources to prosecute crimes against women that had been left unprosecuted. Casten also supports the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act, which aims to empower women during employment and pay disputes. He also supports the Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act, which he says would "put an end to the outrageous practices in Congress that allow members to settle claims of sexual misconduct with taxpayer dollars, mandating complainants to wait 30 days before filing a complaint, and requiring them to sign nondisclosure agreements."[38]
Energy and Climate Policy
Casten believes in climate change and advocates for removing policy barriers that are preventing free market solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.[40][30] He is endorsed by the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters and Climate Hawks Vote for his support of clean energy policies.[41][42][43]
Gun Safety
Casten supports gun control measures including the Assault Weapons Ban, a ban on high capacity magazines, closing the gun show loophole, prohibiting gun sales to individuals on the no-fly list, and repeal of the Dickey Amendment, which prohibits the CDC from studying gun violence.[44]
References
- ↑ Sun-Times Editorial Board. "6th Congressional District Democratic candidate: Sean Casten". chicago.suntimes.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Sean Casten: Candidate Profile". www.dailyherald.com.
- ↑ "Corporate Collaboration Council". engineering.dartmouth.edu.
- ↑ Steiner, Christopher. "Gray Is The New Green". www.forbes.com.
- ↑ Van, Jon. "Cash infusion heats up prospects for recycled-energy business". www.chicagotribune.com/. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ↑ Lydersen, Kari. "Q&A: Why combined heat and power is a 'no-brainer'". energynews.us.
- ↑ Kanellos, Michael. "Will Waste Heat Be Bigger Than Solar?". www.greentechmedia.com.
- ↑ Garthwaite, Josie (August 25, 2010). "Tapping into the Electric Power of Heat". National Geographic. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ Fehrenbacher, Katie (July 20, 2016). "This Startup Is Using Tiny Antennas To Capture Waste Heat". Forbes. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ "Recycled Energy Development sells 121-MW tri-generation portfolio to Ironclad Energy Partners". strattonreport.com.
- ↑ "Recycled Energy Development Completes Sale of RED Investment LLC Including Eastman Business Park Utilities to Ironclad Energy Partners". Business Wire. September 22, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ "NECHPI - Clean/Combined Heat and Power". Northeast Clean Heat and Power Initiative. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
- ↑ "Sean Casten: Executive Profile and Biography". www.bloomberg.com/.
- ↑ Romm, Joe (October 19, 2017). "Progressive candidates are embracing clean energy as a campaign issue". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
- ↑ "Emerging Leaders Class of 2011". www.thechicagocouncil.org.
- ↑ Casten, Sean (June 6, 2008). "Coal is No Longer Cheap - So What Comes Next?". Grist. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ Casten, Sean (April 2010). "Fuel Swap". Fortnightly Magazine.
- ↑ Casten, Sean (December 4, 2014). "What We Should Be Talking About When We Talk About Microgrids". Microgrid Knowledge. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ Casten, Sean (December 19, 2011). "The U.S. electricity mix in 20 years: A prediction". Grist. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ↑ Casten, Sean (November 2007). "Deregulation, Phase II". Fortnightly Magazine.
- ↑ Casten, Sean; Karegianes, Myra (November 2007). "The Legal Case Against Standby Rates". The Electricity Journal. 20: 10 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
- ↑ Casten, Sean; Meyer, Joshua (December 2004). "Cross-Subsidies: Getting the Signals Right". Fortnightly Magazine.
- ↑ Hegarty, Erin. "Downers Grove scientist is ninth Democrat to announce run for Roskam's seat". chicagotribune.com.
- ↑ Burnett, Sara; Zimmerman, Sarah. "Democrats turn out in big numbers for Illinois primary". www.chicagotribune.com.
- ↑ "Illinois AFL-CIO General Election endorsements". labortribune.com.
- ↑ "Endorsed Candidate Profiles". jewishdems.org.
- ↑ "Illinois Education Association recommends Sean Casten for 6th Congressional seat". ieanea.org.
- ↑ "House races offer Democrats best shot at claiming a chamber in Congress". ABC News.
- ↑ "Democrats face key test of Trump-era suburban strategy". Politico.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 "6th Congressional District Democratic candidate: Sean Casten". chicago.suntimes.com.
- ↑ "My approach to U.S. health care reform". castenforcongress.com.
- ↑ "Sean Casten". chicagotribune.com.
- ↑ "Jobs and Growing our Economy". castenforcongress.com.
- ↑ "Sean Casten: Candidate Profile". dailyherald.com.
- ↑ "Immigration Reform". castenforcongress.com.
- ↑ "Moving Forward: The Immigration Debate and Chicago's Experience" (PDF). www.thechicagocouncil.org.
- ↑ "LGBTQ Rights". castenforcongress.com.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Women's Rights". castenforcongress.com.
- ↑ "NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Sean Casten for Congress". www.prochoiceamerica.org.
- ↑ "Energy and Climate Policy". castenforcongress.com.
- ↑ "Endorsements". sierraclub.org. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ↑ "Endorsements". lcv.org.
- ↑ "Sean Casten". climatehawksvote.com.
- ↑ "Gun Safety". castenforcongress.com.
External links
- Sean Casten for Congress official campaign site
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