OurEnergyPolicy.org

[caraher]

Anyone out there familiar with these folks? There were two staffers at the APS/AAPT Physics of Sustainable Energy meeting this weekend and I have some impressions, but wondered whether anyone has prior familiarity with and impressions of this organization.

[kristopher]

1. I don't know of the group

But I like the idea of vetting contributors to the discussion.

You didn't ask for first impressions but here's mine. They have identified a need - a format for rational discussion of energy policy between a wide range of informed individuals representing all sides of the issues. The topic currently at the top of the discussion list is a fine example:

The Economic Impacts of Eliminating Coal from Our Energy Portfolio
Posted by Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY)
Member U.S. House of Representatives
January 16, 2014 at 6:20 PM Filed Under: Discussions, Legislation And Rule-Making

Earlier this week, H.R. 3826, the “Electricity Security and Affordability Act,” which I co-authored with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), advanced through the House Energy and Power Subcommittee, by a vote of 18 to 11. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation provides a reasonable alternative to EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas standards for new power plants and the agency’s planned regulations for existing power plants. It now moves to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration....
http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/electricity-security-and-affordability-act/

The question I have goes to impact - what difference will this dialogue make?

I personally believe that an effort to bring these minds together should have a pathway to either translate discussion into political or economic action on energy policy or should serve in some broad manner to educate the public in a definitive way about the reality of our energy system and the potentialities of the available solutions.

I might be missing it, but I don't see the way the expertise can be focused in a manner any more constructive than your average roundtable discussion. That isn't to say there is no potential, but something seems to me to be lacking.

On the other hand, perhaps there is a greater need for cross-disciplinary thinking than I recognize; maybe the good Congressman from Kentucky will benefit from hearing thoughts that challenge his assumptions and that will affect the way he contributes to policy.

[caraher]

2. That's helpful

The overall idea of having vetted contributors is a good one; I'd be much more dismissive had they not already had a few well-respected people on board already. I think their main reason for being there was to sign up more people as experts for their site.

Their flyer specifically mentioned Whitfield as well as Fred Upton. Their brief presentation was almost too aggressively agnostic about politics; the main audience question was about who funds them, and I found the answer a bit too slippery (a vague reference to an unnamed private foundation or donor "to insure our independence&quot . That approach may have worked well with a different audience, but I think here it only raised suspicions.

It appears that their chief financial sponsor is Yossie Hollander, who is also backing the "Fuel Freedom Foundation."

They do have some semi-official connection with the conference and promise to post "select presentations" on their site, I think mainly because they've connected with Dan Kammen.