As a scientist, clean energy entrepreneur and CEO, and now as a Member of Congress representing the western suburbs of Chicago, Congressman Sean Casten has dedicated his life to fighting climate change. Casten draws upon his previous private sector experience in Congress to craft market-based solutions to reduce emissions while creating jobs and spurring economic growth.
Casten serves on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and is the Vice Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee. He also serves as Vice-Chair on the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force and as Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.
Rep. Casten has a Master of Engineering Management and a Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, he did fundamental research in thermophilic fermentation technology to produce cellulosic ethanol and engineering analyses of integrated ethanol, heat, and power plants.
Casten worked as a clean energy consultant and manager at Arthur D. Little, then served as the president and CEO of Turbosteam Corporation, which focused on utilizing energy recycling technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by generating heat and power from previously wasted energy. In 2006, Casten co-founded Recycled Energy Development (RED), which focused on recycling wasted energy and converting energy facilities to cleaner, more economic uses.
Casten was a founding chairman of the Northeast CHP Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy organization with a mission to advance policies that favor energy efficiency in the Northeast United States.
While working diligently in Washington on behalf of Illinois' 6th Congressional District, Rep. Casten is also committed to keeping in close contact with his constituents. To date, he has held over 60 town halls and over 400 community events.