Category: Blog (Page 6 of 10)

Recently, I was a guest lecturer at an Energy Management Graduate Program class, University of Tulsa.  My assigned subject was “International Energy Policy”.

The class was comprised of students not only from Oklahoma and our region but from several other States, Canada and the Middle East.

I made my prepared remarks during the first twenty minutes.  My remarks were followed by questions asked by the students during a period of one and one-half hours.

Some of the questions and my answers I share with you:

What does the future of energy look like globally?

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that the world energy consumption will grow by 56% between 2010 and 2040.  Though renewable energy and nuclear power are the world’s fastest-growing energy sources, each increasing 2.5% per year, fossils fuels are forecast to continue to supply nearly 80% of world energy use through 2040.  Natural gas is the fastest-growing fossil fuel.

What is the main “push point” or “hot button” on the energy policy front now?  Is it demand from China and India?  Is it climate?  It is supply at home?  Is it markets?

The EIA states that “the industrial sector continues to account for the largest share of delivered energy consumption and is projected to consume more than half of global delivered energy in 2040.”

There is no question that when economic conditions/markets improve globally, China and India will be at the forefront of energy demand.

“Based on current policies and regulations governing fossil fuel use, global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise to 45 billion metric tons in 2040, a 46% increase from 2010.  Economic growth in developing nations fueled by a continued reliance on fossil fuels accounts for most of the emission increases.”

The shale policy that has dramatically increased US supplies also has great promise globally.  Technological advancements have been and will be critical in the years ahead.

What advice would you give current industry leaders about how to shape energy policy discussions; is it possible for the US to get out of “conflict mode”?

As the subtitle of my book, America Needs America’s Energy, states, “creating together the People’s Energy Plan” is essential for best results.

We need energy education, and we need to evaluate our individual and corporate energy usage along with the environmental impact.  The evaluation will assist in preparing a much needed energy plan.

As you proceed with creating your Personal Energy Journal, you will find a lot of helpful background information in the first two parts of the book, including the pros and cons of the various energy alternatives currently available.  In addition, in the back of the book you will find a glossary of energy terms, suggested reading, and web links that offer further assistance.

America Needs America’s Energy!   Together we can create America’s Energy Plan!

Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com

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In the last chapter of my book, America Needs America’s Energy, I recommend that each reader keep a Personal Energy Journal.

America’s energy future is in our hands.  We can no longer wait for government to rally us.  History has shown this will not happen.  The time has come for all of us, the people, to take control of our energy future here in America.  That starts with us keeping a Personal Energy Journal, which will assist us in planning and executing our personal energy plans.

To give you an idea of what some cities are already doing to assist citizens in this process, at the end of chapter 10 I have included a sample copy of a standard report that homeowners in metropolitan Nashville receive following a voluntary in-home energy evaluation (audit).  This Energy Action Plan shows participants the projected energy savings associated with each recommended measure.

Following that, you will find your Personal Energy Journal forms for several years ahead.  These forms are a compilation of questions I have gathered from various sources I have encountered while speaking to groups and educating the public on energy policy.

Please join me in developing your own personal path to an energy strategy by completing the forms, which will guide you in assessing how you are personally using energy and understanding how the way you use energy as a consumer impacts energy issues and development.

The idea is to create your own personal energy plan for over a period of five years.  For instance, your goal for 2013 may be to convert your car to CNG or add solar panels to your home, or investigate other energy sources in your area.  At the end of each year, you can then check to see if you have met your goals.   If not, you can either adjust your goals for the next few years or list the steps needed to achieve your personal energy goals in the near future.  You may want to include others in this initial planning stage, such as your family, your company, or your organization.

As you proceed with creating your Personal Energy Journal you will find a lot of helpful background information in the first two parts of the book, including the pros and cons of the various energy alternatives currently available.  In addition, in the back of the book you find a glossary of energy terms, suggested reading, and web links that offer further assistance.  But don’t count on what you read in the book alone.  Do your homework.  The energy industry is moving forward in innovation and technology advancement, so try to stay current with the latest information available.

You will find that your Personal Energy Journal will become a part of your journey into understanding the need for the People’s Energy Plan, as well as a statement of your personal policy of striving for energy efficiency and environmental preservation.

America Needs America’s Energy!   Together we can create America’s Energy Plan!

Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com

Facebook:  America Needs America’s Energy with 5000 supporters plus and growing.  —   America Needs America’s Energy:  Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

On July 12^th, and as of that date, I made remarks in an interview for the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch regarding Egypt and America’s Energy.

Egypt is not a major producer or supplier of oil but it is a major “chokepoint” in the Middle East when factoring in potential disruptions.  With that said, there is the concern of supply disruptions due to the location of the country’s pipelines and its oversight of the Suez Canal.  An additional concern is that the unrest could possibly carry over into other countries in the region where is substantial oil production.  Another factor is the recent drawdown on US reserves.

The unknown of oil supply disruptions is a warranted concern for the short term.

History of the region shows that the Suez Canal was closed for several months during the crisis in 1956 and during the blockade which occurred for several years following the war of 1967.

Peace in the Middle East would definitely deter the potential for major oil disruptions.

In the long term, beginning soon with a national energy strategy, we should step up own natural resource development efforts especially in the oil and natural gas shale plays.  The commitment to energy development should lead us to energy security.  Therefore, we would be less concerned over time about oil disruptions in other regions throughout the world.

“In 2011, the US spent $453 billion on oil from OPEC and other foreign countries.  The largest consumers of OPEC oil in the form of gasoline and diesel in this country are the trucks and fleets that move goods.  Running primarily from point to point, or from distribution center to distribution center, these heavy trucks and fleets consume incredible amounts of fuel while operating at low fuel efficiency”, according to Boone Pickens.

As I state in my book, it is so important that America establishes energy independence.    Our national security has long been one of the most important assets we cherish.  Today, nothing in America moves without energy, but the definition of energy security is not confined to fuel for transportation.  It also extends to power generation.  To be independent means not just avoiding foreign oil, but creating a forward-thinking infrastructure that provides for our lifestyle needs.

Energy security is based on an energy plan in which we all conserve and work to determine how we will obtain more energy from our country’s sources.  The energy dependence we suffer from today costs us economically, in the form of high prices and lost jobs.  If we develop a People’s Energy Plan, it will lead us to economic prosperity and energy security.

With an American energy strategy we would not have to be as concerned if there are oil disruptions in other parts of the world.  America Needs America’s Energy!   Together we can create America’s Energy Plan!

Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com

Facebook:  America Needs America’s Energy with 5000 supporters plus and growing.  —   America Needs America’s Energy:  Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

July 7^th of this year marked the beginning of four years that I have hosted a radio show on the Tulsa airwaves.

My guest on The Weekly Roundtable anniversary show was Diana Furchtgott-Roth, author of a book entitled, “Regulating to Disaster:  How Green Job Policies are Damaging America’s Economy”.

(The Weekly Roundtable radio show airs each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. CST on AM1170 KFAQ, Tulsa, Ok.   The show can also be heard on www.1170kfaq.com live feed and podcasts.  Also, the show can be downloaded on App:  KFAQ for free for both live feed as well as podcasts.)

Diana Furchtgott-Roth is a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a former chief economist of the US Department of Labor, a MarketWatch columnist, a contributing editor of RealClearMarkets.com and a monthly columnist for Tax Notes.  She served on the staffs of Presidents Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43.

Diana states that it is her opinion that few can define what truly a “green job” is.  She states that the government is not even sure.  She states that the current definition is unfortunately encouraging more Solyndra’s in the future.

She provides examples in her book of the term “green job”.  “The 3.1 million green jobs are a matter of relabeling, not creating new opportunities for Americans to move up the career ladder.

According to Diana, if you sweep a floor in a solar powered facility, drive a hybrid bus, work at a clothing recycling center, work as a garbage man, or work as an oil lobbyist engaged in environmental advocacy, you have a “green job”.

“Because Congress and the administration are mandating and subsidizing more costly green technology, businesses and consumers are reducing some economic activity and investments.  Some investments are going overseas, and some are simply not being made anywhere.  The result is lost jobs.  Businesses are hiring more temporary workers, but not permanent workers.  Consumers are wary of spending because they are afraid of tax hikes and further shrinkage of the values of their homes and their retirement savings.”

She states that currently America should put a hold on more regulations.  “They create a climate of uncertainty, damaging economic growth and employment, and inhibiting employees and investors.”

She believes that the green jobs as presently defined are going to cost Americans especially in utility costs.    Many US leaders want new regulations on energy but she states that there are disadvantages.

On The Weekly Roundtable, I have also had another economist, Dr. Woodrow (Woody) Clark as a guest.  He has some different views than Diana expresses in her book.  His interviews along with others can be listened to on the podcasts earlier mentioned and also, on my company website www.thegtdgroup.com.

Diana believes that fossil fuels used in an environmentally friendly way can power the economy.    She states that “we can move away from expensive, inefficient, green jobs policies when we find they are counter to economic growth and are a wasteful way of meeting our objectives.

One thing that Diana, Woody and I can agree on is that natural gas will play an important role in the future of America’s energy.    Energy efficiency and environmental preservation can be achieved.

America Needs America’s Energy!

Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com

Facebook:  America Needs America’s Energy with 5000 supporters plus and growing.  —   America Needs America’s Energy:  Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

It was great to be back in my hometown of Elk City on July 9^th to help kick-off the Hutchinson Oil Company’s CNG & Me Power Lunch held at the Civic Center.

There was a good crowd on hand.  I was glad to see several friends from Elk City and western Oklahoma including Shawn Wilson, Eddie Moore, Jimmy Albert and his son, Buddy Wood, L. V. Baker, Rand Baker, Anita Archer, David Dyson, Guy Hylton and Jimmy Eslin.

I am so very thankful for my Elk City and western Oklahoma roots.  It is the spirit of this region that has led America in the development of natural gas as a major energy resource.

Hutchinson Oil was founded in 1969 and in the same year south of Elk City, The GHK Company led by Robert Hefner III drilled the #1 Green well which was completed at a depth of 24,473 feet.  It was then the second deepest well in the world.

Soon thereafter, Elk City became known as the “Natural Gas Capitol of the World”.  In fact, I remember as an Elk City High School Key Club member handing out bumper stickers which proclaimed just that.

As part of Elk City and western Oklahoma history, what year do you think you would find an article in the Elk City Daily News entitled “New Company Promotes Investment in CNG Autos” which included the following statements:

“The natural gas industry has a great opportunity to promote economic and environmental stability for our nation.  It is imperative that the purchase of CNG vehicles, conversion of vehicles, and the construction of refueling stations for the use of CNG be encouraged within the State of Oklahoma.  Oklahoma is strategically located to provide natural gas to the nation and therefore create jobs within the state.”

The date was:  March 19, 1993.  Over twenty years ago, I made those statements at an Elk City Lions Club meeting and announced the formation of a company, NGV, Inc.

Two decades later, I have to wonder where America would be if we would have adopted and embraced the CNG technology that my company NGV was advocating.  Certainly our dependence on foreign oil would have diminished.  We’d be more dependent on natural gas, and the abundant supply of natural gas in our own country today would be used.  We would also be using a cleaner fuel, so in every way we would be far ahead of where we are today from an energy standpoint, and closer to energy independence that we could have imagined.

CNG Now!  Now is the time.  Now we can move forward with natural gas.

As Elk City and western Oklahoma launched the natural gas industry beginning in 1969, today this same region can launch the use of CNG.  It is great to see Hutchinson Oil be one of the leaders in this effort!

It is vital to Oklahoma’s economy that we have a strong natural gas industry.  Furthermore, it is extremely important to this Nation that we have a healthy natural gas industry.

America Needs America’s Energy and America Needs America’s Natural Gas!

Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com

Facebook:  America Needs America’s Energy with 5000 supporters plus and growing.  —   America Needs America’s Energy:  Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

In the beginning of my book, America Needs America’s Energy I included “The Energy Prayer” by Nancy Huff.

As stated in the book, a decade ago, Nancy Huff of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, met then-Secretary of State Colin Powell at the National Prayer Breakfast. During their meeting, Secretary Powell asked Nancy to pray for Oklahoma to produce more oil because he believed that our country needed that oil. When Nancy returned to Oklahoma from Washington, D.C., she became active in The Energy Advocates and wrote a special book of prayers for the oil and gas industry. She prayed with a group every Thursday night for Oklahoma, the US, and the industry. I share with you one of those energy prayers:

“Father, I come to you and I ask protection for every drilling site, pipeline, refinery, production site, oil truck, tanker, or any other means of obtaining and transporting oil in the United States.

Protect all those who work in the oil industry, and give them safety and wisdom about every potentially dangerous situation.

I ask, as the oil and gas industry in this country grows, that the environment would be protected.

I ask for the development of new technology that will enable those in the energy industry to drill efficiently while protecting the environment.

Thank you for your hand of safety on the industry and the land that has helped to make the country great. Amen.”

Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com
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This spring, I attended the Annual Energy Directors Conference at Rice University, Houston, Tx.

Cyber Security in the energy industry was addressed by experts in this field including two FBI agents.

The information that was provided was alarming. Several countries are involved in cyber-attacks targeting US companies.

The hackers are attempting to find out information about corporate finances, gain intellectual-property, access control systems of oil and gas pipelines and electric power generation.

Though the energy industry appears to be a major target, it is by far not the only target. All corporations are at risk.

The US is busy countering cyber-attack effects. According to authorities, the US is staying ahead. The main thing taken from the conference is for everyone to be alert and pro-active.

For example, according to Jeffrey M. Cunningham, “On Datong Road in Pudong, Shanghai, a nondescript 12-story high-rise built in 2007 is home to an unusual tenant, Military Unit 61398 of the People’s Liberation Army. A thousand Chinese workers make their living there, armed with advance Internet technology skills and high levels of English proficiency. A quick flyover would suggest that the office building housing Unit 61398 is a typical software development outpost. But the main business here is hacking computer networks in the US, and the only software developed is malware (malicious software used to disrupt computer’s operation, etc.). How do we know this? The US hacked into the Chinese facility.”

June 1, 2013 was National Day of Civic Hacking Day across many US cities including Tulsa, OK. The purpose was to address the issues and solutions US cyber security and hacking.

The US is so dependent on computers that we must be aggressive to address the issues of cyber security. Therefore, companies and individuals need to be pro-active. For further reading, I suggest the following books, Cyber War by Rickard A. Clarke and America the Vulnerable: Inside the New Threat Matrix of Digital Espionage, Crime and Warfare by Joel Brenner.

America’s Natural Energy Resources will help lead us to economic prosperity and energy security. Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”. Please let me know what you think!

During the filming of the documentary “The Grand Energy Transition” that I served as a producer of, I had the opportunity of having a conversation with Ted Turner, founder of CNN, in his Montana ranch house. Of course, our conversation focused on energy and the environment.

Ted was an investor in our documentary. He agreed to be interviewed for the film because he believes that natural gas holds promise. He believes that everyone should be watchful on energy usage and environmental preservation.

Though Ted and I do not agree on everything, we do agree that energy and environment can co-exist.

One question that I asked Ted, who at the time was 72, and who had achieved so much in his lifetime, was “what is left for you to accomplish?” His answer, “to change the world”, as he looked at me, as to say isn’t that what we are all to do?

Ted is definitely a man of action. He stands behind his words.

He has established Turner Renewable Energy (TRE). TRE believes that investing in renewable energy is not only a prudent financial decision, but also a crucial step toward answering our planet’s future health. TRE is committed to promoting the use of clean energy.

For example, TRE has the following projects:

The Luckie Street Solar Project is located on a two acre parking lot adjacent to the Turner building in Atlanta, Ga. It is comprised of 25 solar canopies. We discussed this project and a year later it was completed.

The Cimarron Solar Facility, Arizona, is among the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic plants at 30 megawatts.

The Apex Solar Facility is a 20 megawatt solar photovoltaic power plan in Nevada.

The Spectrum Solar Facility, Clark County, Nevada, is a 30 megawatt facility.

The Granville Solar Facility is a 40-acre site in North Carolina. It is a 2.5 mw facility.

Ted’s question to us- “what are we doing to change the world?”

America’s Natural Energy Resources will help lead us to economic prosperity and energy security. Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com
Facebook: America Needs America’s Energy with 5000 supporters plus and growing. — America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

Over the last few weeks, I have addressed several groups. In Las Vegas, Nevada, I served as a speaker/panelist and moderator at the Annual National Energy Projects in Indian Country Conference, with over 150 tribes represented.

In Tulsa, I made a presentation to a delegation from Pakistan studying energy issues in the US. The delegation was visiting the US as part of the US State Department Leadership Program. The group was studying about our energy policies and issues. The main purpose of their visit was how to improve energy infrastructure in Pakistan.

Also, I spoke at Rogers State University and at the Moore-Norman Technology Center.

The question/concern that came up at the end of each presentation addressed was whether energy and the environment can really co-exist.

In 1992, the International Energy Policy Conference, www.energypolicyconference.com was founded. As founder of the conference, I have continued to advocate the theme of “Striving for Energy Efficiency and Environmental Preservation.”

After discussing all of our energy options, the stand-out answer narrows down to natural gas.

The US has as much natural gas and abundance available as Saudi Arabia has oil to produce.

America is the world’s leading producer of natural gas, a clean, abundant and safe fuel that has an array of domestic uses from heating our homes to being an alternative to gasoline as a transportation fuel.

When used to generate electricity, natural gas emits half the CO2 emissions of coal, 80% less nitrogen oxides and virtually no sulfur dioxides, mercury or particulate matters. This means cleaner air in our communities.

America Needs America’s Energy! And America Needs America’s Natural Gas!

America’s Natural Energy Resources will help lead us to economic prosperity and energy security. Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”.

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com
Facebook: America Needs America’s Energy with 5000 supporters plus and growing. — America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!

As Chairman of People to People International (PTPI) for the past four years, it has been an honor for me to work with Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of former US President Dwight Eisenhower and CEO/President of PTPI.  Mary shared her views and vision about US energy in a letter addressed to the 20^th Annual International Energy Policy Conference:

“Energy is more than an ‘American issue.’  Energy is a global issue, as we are all interconnected.  It is the topic at hand, whether we are discussing the future of America’s energy needs, or following the United Nations Human Development Index, which many of you know relates quality of life with access to energy.  As James Conca shared in Forbes, ‘The world will not be rid of poverty, war, or terrorism until almost everyone on Earth is in the middle class.  And that requires energy.’  We are all in this together!

Conca further stated, ‘That energy use is one of the most accurate indicators of what is considered prosperity and happiness is a powerful concept.  Even more important to national security is that energy use trends with life span, peace, and democracy.’  Conca’s view is that it is ‘unethical and unjust, as well not in our national security interests, not to ensure that the rest of humanity achieves prosperity and long life.’

As we explore the future of energy, I hope that you will remember that point:  we are all interconnected.  When my grandfather, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, gave his famous, ‘Atoms for Peace’ speech in 1953, the topic was atomic warfare.  He said, ‘Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the ‘great destroyers’, but the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build.  It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified.  My country wants to be constructive, not destructive.  It wants agreements, not wars, among nations.  It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life.’  So whether we are facing the specter of atomic warfare in the 1950s or the future of natural gas today, it is you, the innovators and the visionaries, who will ensure a brighter future for all.

In my role as People to People International’s President and Chief Executive Officer, I have the great pleasure of working to connect people of all countries and cultures.  Granddad believed that ‘peaceful relations between nations require understanding and mutual respect between individuals.’  It takes each of us, working together, to combat misperceptions, and it will take each of us, working together, to address the issues of energy in America and beyond.  We owe it to ourselves and to each other to address these needs in terms beyond today.  The future won’t wait!”

Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com

Facebook:  America Needs America’s Energy , with 5000 supporters plus and growing.  —   America Needs America’s Energy:  Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!