March 2011
Dear Hazel,
With all the turmoil and uncertainty in the world these days, you’ll need a clear eye and a steady hand to chart your course, read the signs, and make it go.
In this and succeeding newsletters (and my blog and tweetstream), I’ll be sharing some thoughts and questions to national and corporate leadership about intelligent and effective action (in the face of medieval strategies like trying to settle science by momentary legislative majority).
With best wishes,
Gil Friend
President & CEO
Six Energy Questions For Two CEOs
Looming behind the earthquake in Japan and turmoil in the Middle East is the persistent question of US energy policy, or (as Thomas Friedman so eloquently reminds us) the lack thereof.
There are many ways to wade into this issue: national security, balance of payments, economic stability and of course climate change and environmental impact. But for the moment, let me just offer three questions for the CEO of the United States and three more for the CEO of your company.
You see, like many, I was startled (though in truth, not surprised) to see that one of President Obama’s responses the Japanese nuclear crisis was to reaffirm his commitment to US nuclear policy in his budget request for an additional $36 billion of loan guarantees (on top of $18.5 billion previously authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005) to finance new nuclear power plants. Contrast that to $12.2b in subsidies for “traditional renewables”.
Click here to read more