Irrespective of Rand Paul's record, it does appear that Trey Grayson did in fact give a speech at a "sustainability" event at Eastern Kentucky University on 01 Feb. 2008. Quote:
Secretary Grayson will discuss how Kentucky can respond to the challenge of global warming and climate change. Event is sponsored by EKU's Committee on Responsible Environmental Stewardship as part of the national "Focus the Nation" event.
Event Date: February 01 11:30 a.m.
Location: SSB O'Donnell Auditorium
Cost: Free
Contact Information: Charles Elliott, 622-1538
Source: Eastern Kentucky University, Press Release, 25 Jan. 2008 (https://ssl.eku.edu/prm.eku.edu/ekutoday/?module=0&id=4646&PHPSESSID=0170afcc5a00b46c487399bfd500e22f)
Note that Grayson's speech on "global warming" was preceded on the evening of 30 Jan. 2008 by a video web cast featuring Van Jones, Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider, and sustainability "consultant" Hunter Lovins.
Source: Eastern Kentucky University, Press Release, 25 Jan. 2008 (https://ssl.eku.edu/prm.eku.edu/ekutoday/?module=0&id=4645&PHPSESSID=0170afcc5a00b46c487399bfd500e22f)
Note: Dr. Schneider in 1977 predicted an imminent Ice Age and was later criticized by colleagues for using scare tactics in order to gain publicity. In addition, his e-mails were recently caught up in the hacked Hadley CRU e-mail scandal, popularly known here on FR as "Climategate."
The video web cast itself centered on the promotion of "The 2% Solution." (You can read more about it here and here.) In other words:
With an increase of government spending of 2% of GDP, we can solve all these problems, but it will require "grand bargains" between the parties, with Democrats agreeing to accept market-oriented programs if Republicans will generously fund them. For instance, Miller says many Republicans would support universal health coverage if Democrats would allow a plan relying on tax subsidies to cover private insurance policies. Based on similar principles, Miller crafts Solomonic proposals to raise teacher pay, experiment with school vouchers, subsidize a living wage for poor workers, publicly finance elections, slow the growth rate of Social Security and Medicare expenses, and offset the costs of the new initiatives. Though he calls it "ideologically androgynous," Miller's agenda resembles the New Democrat platform and will be a harder sell to the committed tax cutters of the GOP.
Source: Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Two-Percent-Solution-Americas-Conservatives/dp/1586481584)
In other words, we are talking about a video web cast promoting some serious "bipartisanship" in the style of McCain and Romney including such programs as Obamacare.
According to Eastern Kentucky University, both Grayson's speech and the video web cast were sponsored by progressive advocacy group Focus the Nation. In its own words, the organization is
a national non-profit headquartered Portland, Oregon. We believe in the science of climate change and the opportunity it presents to rebuild American communities and US leadership at the local and international level. We are driven by a fierce commitment to empower young people with the leadership, educational and engagement opportunities that will accelerate our transition to a more just and prosperous clean energy future.
Source: Focus the Nation, About (http://www.focusthenation.org/about)
The group has been praised by such liberal Democrats as Sens. Kerry and Feinstein of Massachusetts and California, respectively, and has partners such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund whose self-described mission includes "helping to build a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world."
One further link I forgot to include at post 32:
http://www.prm.eku.edu/Update/?issue=99amp;department=0amp;article=1111&department=0&article=1116
See posts 32 and 33.
Ugh. Double ugh.
And great research—thank you.