Steven Chu, the physicist who is President Obama's energy secretary, recently gave a speech in which two key words never passed his lips. He talked about energy efficiency, electricity transmission lines and renewable energy sources. He waxed eloquent about technology and the need to fund energy research. But afterward, Chevron vice chairman Peter Robertson noted disconsolately that
"it would be nice to hear a bit about oil and gas." [snip]
"The clean energy revolution is here now,"
declares Greg Wetstone, senior director for government and public affairs at the American Wind Energy Association.
To carry out this revolution, Obama has appointed a climatologist's dream team of scientists, regulators and political operatives to energy and environment positions. Chu gave up his research to devote himself to seeking technologies that could slow climate change. Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa Jackson is determined to set greenhouse gas regulations. Lisa Heinzerling, principal author of the brief in a key lawsuit against the Bush EPA, is now working as the agency's senior climate policy counsel. And Carol Browner, who served for eight years as head of Bill Clinton's EPA, is back as White House energy and climate czar.
[Which is why the obvious (and only realistic) solution to our foreign oil dependance is being utterly ignored: develop our own oil and gas reserves.]
READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment