Welcome to the HMC Senate committee on Energy and Natural Resources! I hope you are all excited to come to Boston, meet one another and spend three amazing days debating, drafting bills, and sight-seeing!
My name is Parijat Samant, and I am currently a sophomore majoring in economics. I am originally from New York City, and actually attended HMC as a delegate all throughout high school. This is my sixth HMC conference, and I hope that it will be the best yet! Outside of HMC and classes, I work with many environmental groups on campus and I love cooking, baking and traveling. Feel free to ask me over the course of the conference for dining suggestions in Boston!
I am very excited to hear your senators’ views and opinions on the topics we will be debating! The wide purview of our committee means that the bills you draft and pass will affect many Americans in all parts of the country. Our first topic, rivers and dams, has been a crucial issue this spring as the Mississippi River flooding threatens to disrupt the lives of many Americans. Even in better times without natural disasters such as flooding, the issue of rivers and dams affect the livelihoods and health of many people. The next issue, ocean pollution, is also one that directly affects the health of coastal residents, but also indirectly affects the entire nation. High pollution levels in ocean can result in increased mercury concentrations in fish, thus affecting Americans who eat fish regardless of whether they live in a coastal state. I hope that together as senators from across the nation you will be able to find innovative solutions to these problems.
There are still months to the conference, but I urge you to begin thinking about these topics. I look forward to meeting you all in February!
Best,