Jim Pierobon is Founder and principal writer of The Energy Fix. He is a policy, marketing and social media strategist who has reported on, testified and consulted about smarter grids, cyber-security as it affects the power grid, fossil fuel shortages, price spikes, energy efficiency and the rise and fall -- and the rise again of nuclear and renewable energy sources.Center for Sustainable Shale Development – peeling back the packaging
Since its launch about one month ago (see The Energy Fix, March 22), the Center for Sustainable Shale Development has been met with accolades from entities such as The Washington Post to harsh rebukes by the likes of the Sierra Club. It’s not surprising that these and other parties differ on the Center’s potential for [...]
‘Energy Security Trust’ concept provides glimmer of bipartisan cooperation-but check the details
To hear Republican Lisa Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, agree with President Barack Obama on a major plank of blueprint initially outlined by a forward-thinking coalition of business and military leaders — the Energy Security Leadership Council — could lead one to think maybe a rock peeled [...]
Energy and climate portion of President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union address
To save you time searching for the energy and climate portion of Obama’s February 12, 2013 State of the Union address, which occurred not quite half way through the speech, here it is, courtesy of ABC News: “After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future. We produce [...]
With Obama’s win, cleaner energy has another chance, but these questions loom
Just because President Obama won four more years, doesn’t mean the next four will be any easier. Sure, it’s now his legacy he is beginning to focus on. But there are tall hurdles even the election results will do to change. Renewable energy developers and suppliers have a few rays of sunshine and a more [...]
Manage climate risks with this framework – whether you’re a believer or not
Whether one believes in the threats of a changing climate, or not, businesses are sticking their heads in the sand if they don’t at least acknowledge some degree of risk and manage it accordingly. I find it almost impossible to believe how corporate officers, policymakers, insurers, many investors and coastal property owners – to name [...]
FAST FIX: Cyber security expert Alan Paller questions security of U.S. power grid
Alan Paller, a prominent cyber security authority at the Maryland-based SANS Institute who leads the widely-used Internet Storm Center, was asked during a recent presentation to a Google-sponsored Maryland Cybersecurity Seminar in College Park, MD how he rates the security of the U.S. power grid. On a scale of “1″ to “10″, with 10 being [...]
How overturning conventional energy wisdom could resurrect real progress in climate talks
Ever since the Copenhagen round of global climate talks failed in 2009, there have been no shortage of prescriptions and declarations about what needs to change. The subsequent failures in Cancun in 2010 and Durban last year underscore the need for a new way of thinking. There is no denying the world needs, and is [...]
America, with Canada’s help, could be within 15 years of energy self-sufficiency — for liquid fuels
“Energy self-sufficiency” is not the same thing as the politically popular and wholly unrealistic notion of “energy independence”. But it might be doable by 2026 for the United States. So says the President and CEO of the the ‘Big Oil’ lobby, the American Petroleum Institute (API). During his annual energy policy speech December 4, API [...]
What a third-party presidential candidate could do for U.S. energy policy 2013 and beyond
The shallow debates and partisan bickering even with the Republican Party does not bode well for a thoughtful, forward-looking evolution of U.S. energy policy after President Obama’s first term. With his administration scaling back commitments to cleaner energy and falling far short of substantive steps to end the “tyranny” of crude oil as he put [...]