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John Kerry: Pursue Renewable Energy Policy Now
John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief -- Design News, October 29, 2008
Sen. John Kerry spoke at the Lux Executive Summit on energy last week in Cambridge, MA. DN Editor-in-Chief John Dodge interviewed him afterward and included his views from his presentation on a range of energy issues. While decidedly partisan and complaining of fatigue from the late Red Sox playoff game the night before, he was outspoken on energy.
On why our dependence on oil has grown for decades:
"Economic interests won out and I am talking about oil and gas. Most inventors sat on the sidelines. In the 1970s, Jimmy Carter declared the U.S. would become energy independent in 10 years. Actually, Nixon announced it in 1973. Ford said by 1985. Reagan turned his back on energy (and) pulled out of the energy lab in Colorado (now the National Renewable Energy Lab). Oil and gas is the last worst mistake we made in the 20th century."
On the dangers of relying on foreign oil and gas:
"There is no way possible for the U.S. to be secure against terrorism unless we free ourselves from fossil fuel. That's the reality. It does us great enormous injury in terms of sending a billion dollars a day to Saudi Arabia. We're battling goblins."
On carbon reduction and carbon trading credit:
"If the cost is shared by everyone, it'll be written into the cost of doing business (Congress is considering several bills on carbon reduction). Some people think this is not the time to do it. I don't agree with that. You can't be half pregnant on this. This is not as hard as people think it is. Let the market set the price of carbon (credits). In 1990 with the Clean Air Act (which promoted cleaner fuels and market-driven reductions in emissions), I vividly remember the industry saying don't do this to us. It'll cost $4 billion. It cost $2 billion and took (only) two years."
On the government's priorities with renewable energy policy:
"It should be the great vision of the U.S. to create a framework and (encourage) entrepreneurs (to create) the jobs of the future. We've got to create jobs. Many of you (in the room) are responding: 'Are these turkeys in Washington going to get us a break?' We've got to get the energy policy right. We need profound and dramatic change. We have a panoply of choices. The science (of climate change) is frightening and the math is not complicated. We've really got to proceed."
On conservation:
"In Europe, lights go on and off as needed just like escalators. Here, escalators (always running) are waiting for someone 1,000 miles away. That's the dumbest thing in the world."
On energy entrepreneurship:
"If I was in the private sector, that's where I'd be."
Talkback
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"If I was in the private sector, that's where I'd be"Mr. Kerry would not last a minute...
Carl Guettler - 2008-12-17 18:25:25
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