NEPI conference provides hope for solving energy problems
By Jim Roth | Phillips Murrah P.C. |
The Journal Record
[ OCTOBER 12, 2009 - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ] - I had the honor to be involved in the National Energy Policy Institute’s inaugural conference last week on the University of Tulsa campus. The conference was a huge success with a capacity crowd making it necessary to provide a video feed to an overflow room. An elite roster of panelists and speakers included regulators, legislators, academicians, consumers and industry representatives from Oklahoma, our region and across the country.
NEPI is a nonprofit organization initiated by the George Kaiser Family Foundation to provide a rational analysis of energy policy, enabling decision makers to improve our national security by reducing our dependence on imported oil and reducing our emissions of greenhouse gas.
The president of NEPI, Tony Knowles said, “Our goal in presenting this conference is to stimulate productive discussion in key areas that are critical to how America meets electric power demands in the 21st century.” That’s a lofty goal and he is the right leader.
The conference was a continuation of a relationship between TU and NEPI on a number of initiatives. In addition to housing NEPI on the TU campus and seeking ways to involve TU students in NEPI’s activities, the organizations are sponsoring public conferences on relevant energy-related topics. They seek ways to implement the best energy options (as identified in the NEPI study) by facilitating the creation of businesses and jobs through technology transfer and job training.
Harvard professor William W. Hogan, research director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group, has helped design competitive electricity markets in the U.S., England and Australia. Hogan shared his expertise in the design and improvement of competitive electricity markets. Hogan also pointed out past mistakes in the alternative energy endeavor as a warning that choices must be well-thought-out or they can produce unexpected, unwanted results.
NEPI, joining with Washington, D.C.-based Resources for the Future and energy academics nationwide, will be issuing a report on its major energy study in January. The report will discuss potential alternative-energy solutions, such as electric cars, wind energy and natural gas, and apply a cost-benefit analysis. NEPI wants to find options that work, that are affordable and that will hold up over time.
Elizabeth Salerno, an American Wind Energy Association director, was among the panelists discussing supply. Salerno’s presentation showed that U.S. investment totaling $17 billion in wind projects even exceeded longtime leader Germany. Wind accounts for less than 10 percent of national electricity generation, but the U.S. Department of Energy hopes to boost that to 20 percent by 2030. Salerno pointed out that construction of wind farms and high-voltage transmission lines would cost billions of dollars, but the 20-percent scenario would save money in reduced carbon emissions and water savings otherwise used to cool thermal power plants.
Oklahoma Energy Secretary Bobby Wegener pointed out the increased availability of an ample state resource, natural gas, noting that shale formations and directional drilling make natural gas a cleaner, more cost-effective option than other fossil fuels.
The knowledge and expertise of the speakers and panelists and the enthusiastic interest of the many attendees provides real hope for solving our energy and environmental issues. Thanks are in order to the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the University of Tulsa and the National Energy Policy Institute for the inaugural success and for their efforts to place Oklahoma at the center of a national solution for America’s energy sake.
Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah P.C. in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.