Foxes, Henhouses, and Lee Raymond
The Exxpose Exxon coalition, which Oil Change is a part of, is highlighting
and objecting to the latest egregious example of the cozy relationship between oil and state. Remember all the scandal around Cheney’s closed door National Energy Strategy? Now there’s a new study – requested by the government and run by the oil industry – to determine our energy future.
Former ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond, of all people, has been picked to lead a study to assess “the potential contribution of conservation, efficiency, alternative energy sources, and technology advances” to our future energy needs and determine “the potential long term impact of alternative energies that are plentiful, affordable, reliable and transportable.”
Department of Energy Under-Secretary David Garman argued in a presentation in June (pdf) that the NPC is “well qualified to provide a balanced and informed perspective on strategies and action affecting the energy future for both the U.S. and for every country on earth.”
Why the National Petroleum Council would be handed a remit this broad is a mystery (well, maybe not). According to their website, NPC is “a federally chartered and privately funded advisory committee, [which] was established by the Secretary of the Interior in 1946 at the request of President Harry S. Truman. In 1977, the U.S. Department of Energy was established and the NPC’s functions were transferred to the new Department. The purpose of the NPC is solely to represent the views of the oil and natural gas industries in advising, informing, and making recommendations to the Secretary of Energy with respect to any matter relating to oil and natural gas, or to the oil and gas industries submitted to it or approved by the Secretary.” (emphasis added)
So, if their sole purpose is to represent the oil and natural gas industry why are they conducting a study to determine “the potential long term impact of alternative energies that are plentiful, affordable, reliable and transportable.”??!!