Coming this weekend: Tough green questions on Obama’s record

A major Washington conference of young climate activists will include sharp questions about what some environmentalists call a disappointing White House record – and what to do about it.

The Energy Action Coalition’s Power Shift 2011 conference, which runs April 15 to 18, includes a Saturday panel titled “What To Do When The President’s Just Not That Into You.”

The panel – which includes high-profile activist Bill McKibben of 350.org – comes amid a string of setbacks for the green movement.

This includes the collapse of climate change legislation on Capitol Hill, a measure that some advocates felt the White House did not push hard enough.

“Despite the hopes of millions that President Obama would champion clean energy and help solve the climate crisis, his response has fallen far short of what's necessary. At best, his record and rhetoric have been mixed,” states the description of the panel on the conference website.

The panel will probe, according to the conference website, questions including: “What is President Obama's climate/environment record? How should the climate movement deal with the White House? What can we learn from other movements' response to the White House?”

And perhaps most provocatively: “Is there a possibility for a pro-environment, progressive challenger to Obama in the 2012 primaries? Is that a good idea?”

Also on the panel: Climate advocate Glenn Hurowitz of the Center for International Policy, gay-rights activist and military veteran Lt. Dan Choi, and Jane Hamsher of the liberal blog Firedoglake.

The panel is one of scores and scores of discussions and workshops at the broad conference, which will feature speakers including Al Gore.