Inaugural Platts Lecture to Feature Gene Sperling on 'Climate, Energy and the Climate for Energy,' November 29 in New York

Inaugural Platts Lecture to Feature Gene Sperling on 'Climate, Energy and the Climate for Energy,' November 29 in New York

September 10, 2007

    NEW YORK, Sept. 10 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Platts, a
leading global provider of energy and metals information
and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP),
today announced that the Platts Lecture Series will launch
on November 29, 2007, with a presentation by Gene Sperling.
 Sperling, who is a former White House National Economic
Advisor and former Director of the National Economic
Council, will address the implications of climate change
for the global energy industry in a lecture entitled
"Climate, Energy and the Climate for Energy." 

    The Platts Lecture will take place at Digital Sandbox,
located at 55 Broad Street in New York, from 11:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. and will include presentations, lunch and
roundtable discussions.  The event is expected to draw
nearly 200 attendees, including senior executives from oil,
gas, coal and electric power companies and the financial
community.

    "Climate change is not just a real-world threat to
our environment, it is also now a major force in politics
and the impetus behind an entire new commercial
industry," said Platts President Victoria Chu Pao.
"Platts is honored to welcome Gene Sperling, who was
praised as the 'MVP of the economic team' by President
Clinton, to bring an economic and political perspective to
the discussion of global climate change."

    The Platts Lecture series aspires to raise the level of
global energy industry debate, creating the definitive forum
for the examination of serious long-term issues facing the
world's energy businesses and policy-makers. R.W. Beck, a
leading provider of business and technical consulting, is
principal sponsor of this year's inaugural Platts Lecture.
Additional panel participants will include globally
renowned industry leaders, politicians and academics who
excel in thought leadership and innovation.  Lectures will
be held annually in association with Platts Global Energy
Awards in New York City. 

    The Platts Lecture "Climate, Energy and the
Climate for Energy" will be held on the same day as
the ninth annual Platts Global Energy Awards Gala. Each
year, the Platts Global Energy Awards event attracts more
than 500 senior energy executives from around the world,
who gather to attend a gala dinner and awards ceremony. The
event, which recognizes global energy company innovation,
leadership, and superior performance in over a dozen
categories, will this year feature the presentation of a
new award: Green Energy Initiative of the Year.  More
information is available at
http://www.globalenergyawards.com .

    For sponsorship opportunity and details, contact Vicki
Peterson at [e-mail] or [phone].
To attend, register at the following address:
http://www.platts.com/GEAWeb/resources/jsp/lecture.jsp .
For additional event information: Contact Patsy Wurster at
[e-mail] or [phone].  

    About R.W. Beck:

    R. W. Beck, Inc. ( http://www.rwbeck.com ) is a
technically based business consulting firm providing
engineering, economic, financial and planning solutions for
the energy, water and solid waste industries. Integrating
business and financial acumen with technical and
engineering expertise, R. W. Beck works as trusted advisors
providing insights that positively impact municipal
utilities, public and private sector agencies, the
financial community and other industry partners. Founded 65
years ago, R. W. Beck has more than 550 employees with 27
offices in the U.S. and one in Singapore.

    About Platts: 

    Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:
MHP), is a leading global provider of energy and metals
information. With nearly a century of business experience,
Platts serves customers across more than 150 countries.
From 14 offices worldwide, Platts serves the oil, natural
gas, electricity, emissions, nuclear power, coal,
petrochemical and metals markets. Platts' real time news,
pricing, analytical services, and conferences help markets
operate with transparency and efficiency. Traders, risk
managers, analysts, and industry leaders depend upon Platts
to help them make better trading and investment decisions.
Additional information is available at
http://www.platts.com .

    About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

    Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP)
is a leading global information services provider meeting
worldwide needs in the financial services, education and
business information markets through leading brands such as
Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek
and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more
than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were US$6.3
billion. Additional information is available at
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com .


    For more information, please contact:

     Kathleen Tanzy
     Platts
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

    Asia: 
     Casey Yew 
     Platts
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

    Europe: 
     Shiona Ramage 
     Platts
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]