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U.S. Senator Takes Second Look at Breakthrough New Energy Legislation
Roundtable addresses why the United States government is so slow to
facilitate extreme leading edge technologies, and how that tendency could be
changed for the better through visionary leadership.
Joel Garbon serves as president of the grassroots nonprofit
The New Energy Movement and is a founding member of the
New Energy Congress. He is also co-authoring with Jeane Manning an upcoming book titled
Breakthrough Power that chronicles the challenges, opportunities, and progress in the new energy field. Due for release in fall 2008, the book is a sequel to Manning’s highly-regarded 1996 work
The Coming Energy
Revolution.
An encouraging sign of alignment of at least one member of the United States Congress with the goals of the New Energy Congress and The New Energy Movement occurred May 29 at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington.
At a “Clean Technology Roundtable” hosted by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington), the senator challenged a gathering of clean-tech entrepreneurs, energy researchers, financiers, environmental advocates, and government affairs personnel to contribute ideas for breaking the logjam of inertia in federal energy policy. Cantwell articulated her frustration with the lack of substantial progress in Congress to drive through legislation aimed at reducing America’s appetite for oil, as well as addressing growing concerns over the environmental impacts of fossil fuel dependency.
“I’m very concerned about the effects of carbon dioxide on the ocean (acidification)….this may have very damaging effects on the marine food web,” stated Cantwell.
Lamenting the lack of U.S. leadership on energy issues, she noted, “The Asians lead in fuel efficiency. The Norwegians lead in wind power. And Europe in general is way ahead of us on solar.” The senator followed with, “The United States and China combined amount to 40% of global energy consumption….The U.S. needs to become the leader in new energy technology…..we should be exporting American-made energy technology to China, before it happens the other way around.”
Concerning the local economy in the State of Washington, Cantwell stressed, “We have a great opportunity. By becoming leaders in clean technology, the economy in this state will be strong…there will be lots of jobs….good jobs.” She put a smile on the face of those attendees from the cities of Portland and Vancouver when she referenced a recent local newspaper article touting the cities as having the “third lowest carbon footprint of all the cities in the U.S.”
I was invited to participate in the session, and listened intently to the comments of a seasoned cast of panelists, including laboratory director Mike Davis of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Climate Solutions policy director K.C. Golden,
Infinia CEO J.D. Sitton, and government affairs officer Craig Lewis of Greenvolts Corporation. Both Infinia and Greenvolts have been featured on the NEC “Top 100” new energy technologies.
The panelists provided compelling feedback when asked to comment on what they see as the impediments to new technology. These included:
Venture capital tends to shy away from leading edge technology due to the perception of intolerable risk. In an era when we must rapidly introduce new energy technology to the market to address the looming crises, we must find a way to encourage more risk-taking. One idea is private/public research labs that can credibly assess new technologies to help offset the financier’s perception of risk.
Federal policies and subsidies overwhelmingly favor well-known conventional technologies over breakthrough innovations. Oil conglomerates receive billions of dollars in subsidies at a time of astronomical profits, while emerging technologies get only dribbles of public funding.
Policy-making in the U.S., especially at the federal level, is dangerously slow, especially when it is critical that we enact urgent and aggressive new energy legislation. In contrast, China’s leaders can make a decision in a single day by fiat, with the new policy rapidly implemented.
Mandates are needed for government facilities to embrace clean technology to catalyze the marketplace.
Economics drives behavior in the U.S. Currently, there are no strong and highly visible incentives for businesses and consumers to rapidly adopt clean energy. A stiff tax on carbon emissions or mandatory and enforced limits would provide the incentive and spur rapid growth of clean technology.
There is a fundamental conflict for electrical utilities to promote energy efficiency. A creative policy is needed to resolve this conflict.
Infinia’s Sitton was particularly fervent about the endurance contest that entrepreneurs of new technology undergo in their struggles to find start-up capital. Speaking of his company’s revolutionary solar stirling-engine generator for distributed (3 Kw) applications at home and business, Sitton said, “We’ve been at this a long time. When we first introduced our technology, they (venture capitalists) said we had a popcorn popper!” Fortunately, Infinia now has strong financial backing and is poised to make a substantial impact in the distributed power sector.
I took a different focus when it came my turn to address the senator and those gathered. “My colleagues and I are a voice for those under-funded and often isolated researchers and inventors of little-known yet truly breakthrough energy concepts. Most lack the relationships and business acumen required to navigate the sophisticated world of financial and regulatory affairs. And many have experienced obstruction from gate-keepers at the Patent Office and in the Department of Energy, where heavily-moneyed special interest have strong influence.”
Cantwell nodded and then chimed in, “And don’t forget Wall Street!” She said a lot about her awareness with that one comment.
I made the case that the global dilemma is so huge, we cannot reasonably expect the conventional renewables of solar, wind, and biofuels to “get us where we need to go and as fast as we need to get there.” After making a strong appeal for legislation that focuses on serious and urgent support for research and development of new and
unconventional energy technology, I then strongly encouraged the senator and those gathered to examine the provisions contained within the draft legislation crafted by
me and my colleagues: Dr. Brian O’Leary, Dr. Tom Valone, Steve Kaplan, Sterling Allan, Ken Rauen, Mark Goldes, Terry Sisson, and Jeane Manning (many of whom are founding members of
NEC). Titled “Energy Innovation Act of 2007”, the
draft legislation provides a template for federal, state, local, and international policies that aggressively fund inventors of breakthrough energy technologies.
Senator Cantwell gladly accepted a copy of the draft legislation, and many of those gathered approached me for a copy. I reminded Cantwell that her legislative staff had been approached with this draft in early 2007, but that the time was ripe for a revisit, to which she agreed.
Perhaps there is some reason to hope that at least one member of the U.S. Congress will champion support for advanced new energy technologies as we turn over all the stones for real and high-impact solutions to our global crisis.
ADVISORY: With any
technology, you take a high risk to invest significant time or money
unless (1) independent testing has thoroughly corroborated the
technology, (2) the group involved has intellectual rights to the
technology, and (3) the group has the ability to make a success of
the endeavor.
All
truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed;
Second, it is violently opposed; and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.
--
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
"When you're one step ahead
of the crowd you're a genius.
When you're two steps ahead,
you're a crackpot."
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