Update: NH Presidential Forum on Energy, Environment for GOP Candidates has been canceled.

Organizers today announced Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), former New York Gov. George Pataki,  and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore will participate in the first Fitzwater Presidential Forum on Energy and the Environment on October 8 on Franklin Pierce University’s Manchester campus. The Forum will be moderated by former U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH).

“One of the great assets of New Hampshire is the state's environment. Preserving and promoting New Hampshire’s and the country’s environment has always been uniquely important to our state’s voters. This Forum will give those candidates participating the opportunity to speak in an in-depth manner about their views on how to approach our state’s and nation’s environmental issues,” said Gregg. “It will hopefully help voters in their decision process as to who they wish to see as our next President.”

Simon Roosevelt, a sportsman, conservationist and great-great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, will attend the Forum and participate in a roundtable discussion with Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.  

“From the days when President Teddy Roosevelt first raised the voice of sportsmen conservationists to Presidents Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush signing landmark conservation laws, conservation values have always had a home in the Republican Party,” said O’Mara. “We’re urging as many candidates as possible to take advantage of this opportunity to take their message directly to New Hampshire voters who know common-sense conservation is a core value in the Granite State.”
All of the Republican presidential candidates have been invited to participate in the Forum. A Fitzwater Presidential Forum on Energy and the Environment for Democratic candidates will be scheduled for later this fall.

“New Hampshire citizens deserve to hear about candidates’ views on all the key issues facing our country, including conservation,” said Mike Bartlett, president of New Hampshire Audubon. “Our precious wildlife here in New Hampshire depends on an active and engaged citizenry.”

Franklin Pierce University’s website will be among those providing a livestream of the Forum at www.franklinpierce.edu/webcast. A limited amount of seating is available for the in-person audience, and is being distributed via online lottery at www.granitestateconservation.org/Forum starting September 23rd.  Visitors to the aforementioned site can also submit debate questions for consideration and find information about where to view the Forums online.

Candidates will be interviewed individually on stage, with the order drawn randomly prior to the event. FPU environmental studies students and faculty are developing and selecting the questions with an independent panel of policy experts, and FPU’s media students are handling all production aspects of the Forum.