Posted 08.27.2008
Energy independence: realistic goal or pipe dream?
Forum presents diverse views on powering America's future
By Mike CoteBarack Obama and John McCain have both espoused the goal of achieving energy independence for the United States, hoping to sway voters tired of $4-a-gallon gas and worried about the country’s economic security.
Good luck with that, Stephen Brand might say. The oil-and-gas industry veteran knows the difference between rhetoric and reality. And fossil fuels aren’t going away any time soon, he says.
"I think (energy) independence is a misnomer," the ConocoPhillips senior vice president said at a "new energy" forum sponsored by law firm Patton Boggs in Denver. "There is no way we can really be energy independent. Energy security is probably the goal."
The energy forum, an intimate event attended by about 40 people and moderated by Patton Boggs partner Carolyn McIntosh and attorney Robert Thibault, included environmental and energy policy advisors from the Obama campaign, the Democratic convention’s "green" czar and the chairman of the Makah Tribe of Washington.
Brand is based in Houston, but he’s made a few public appearances in Denver over the past few months. In February, ConocoPhillips announced it had purchased the 432-acre former StorageTek property from Sun Microsystems for a corporate training and global technology center that will employ thousands of workers. Brand noted that the center represented the first such project to have the ConocoPhillips moniker since Conoco and Phillips Petroleum merged in 2002.
About 70 percent of the increased demand for energy is coming from India and China, Brand said. Compounding a market where demand outstrips supply is the restricted access multinational oil companies have to the world’s petroleum reserves. Access has severely decreased since the ’60s, from about 85 percent to 7 percent, he said.
The country needs a national energy policy that pushes for greater efficiency, promotes innovation and recognizes environmental concerns, Brand said, adding that the country’s energy supply will need to come from diverse sources, from biofuels and wind to traditional fossil fuels.
"Our goal is to transition from an oil and gas company to an energy company," he said. "It’s going to take every part of the portfolio to meet the demand out there."
Howard Learner, senior adviser on environmental and energy policy for the Obama campaign, said the Democratic contender "gets the convergence" of energy security, the environment and the economy.
"We’re mortgaging our country’s future to China to pay for oil in the Mideast," he said.
Obama’s energy plan includes revitalizing Detroit to produce vehicles that get better highway mileage, energy conservation and promoting a renewable energy economy that creates new jobs, Learner said, noting the investment of wind-turbine company Vestas in Colorado.
In March, the wind energy company opened its first U.S. manufacturing facility, a blade factory in Windsor, where it will employ more than 650 people. In August, the company announced plans to build an additional blade factory and a nacelle assembly factory in Brighton. Vestas also plans to open a tower factory in Colorado. The three new factories will create an additional 1,750 local jobs, the company said in a press release issued to promote a Tuesday conference with political leaders in Denver.
Micah McCarty, chairman of the Makah Tribe, offered a different take on the new energy economy, from the perspective of a people who have a long tradition of living off the land and water. The leader of the Pacific Northwest tribe said the results of global warming are becoming obvious.
"There are a lot of friends I have who are seeing their islands sink into the ocean," he said. "People who live with the natural world see these changes."
The Makah Tribe has been battling the federal government over a proposed wave energy project in Neah Bay in the works for several years. McCarty blamed special interest groups for stalling the northwest Washington project, which would harvest energy from tides and waves.
Andrea Robinson, director of sustainability and greening for the Democratic convention, offered examples of how the convention is reducing its environmental footprint, an effort that took an entire year of planning and includes the use of hybrid and biodiesel buses and carbon credits.
Making late appearances at the forum were Jason Grumet, chairman of environmental and energy policy for the Obama campaign; and Maggie Fox, wife of U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, who is running for Senate. Both touted their candidates’ commitment to new energy issues.
Mike Cote is the editor of ColoradoBiz. E-mail him at mcote@cobizmag.com.
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