"My entry into public interest politics started with answering an ad for a canvassing position with the heading ‘activists wanted’. Nothing I have done since has better prepared me the next two decades I have spent organizing on environmental and public interest issues. It gave me the confidence to know that I could work hard when it was something I really believed in and it taught me to boil issues down to their essence, an essential skill for organizers. Most importantly, the thousands upon thousands of interactions I had with folks have kept me in tune with the mindset of average people." Rob Sargent
Rob Sargent is the Senior Energy Policy Analyst for the State PIRGs. Mr. Sargent oversees policy and strategy development for state PIRG energy and climate campaigns throughout the U.S. He has been involved as a strategist in numerous successful campaigns including the Massachusetts, California, New Mexico, and New Jersey Renewable Portfolio Standards; the adoption of the California Automobile Emission Standards (LEV/ZEV) programs in the Northeast; and in shaping state and regional climate change action plans. He was a leader in the successful effort in Massachusetts to secure the first-in-the-nation policy to regulate carbon dioxide power plants, and currently serves as an advisor to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, working to shape a cap on global warming emissions from power plants in the Northeast. He has co-authored several reports on energy and global warming including, “Achieving a New Energy Future: How States Can Lead America to a Clean, Sustainable Economy;” “Making Sense of America’s Oil Needs: A Sustainable, State-Based Response to Dwindling Oil Supplies;” “After the Blackout: Achieving a Cleaner, More Reliable Electric System;” and “Stopping Global Warming Begins at Home,” which makes the case for a strong cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the Northeast. Mr. Sargent began working with the PIRGs as a Fund canvasser in 1983, becoming a canvass director in 1984. He worked as a Field Organizer on a ballot campaign to stop hazardous waste sites between 1985 and 1986 and became the original director of the Massachusetts Campaign to Cleanup Hazardous Waste, now known as the Toxics Action Center. Before assuming his current role in 2002, Mr. Sargent also served as MASSPIRG’s Toxics Program Advocate and Legislative Director.
