John Hofmeister, former CEO of Shell Oil Co. and founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy, suggests that America's current energy crisis is due to an inherent flaw in the U.S. government, and that fairly radical steps may need to be taken to remedy it.
John D. Hofmeister
John Hofmeister is the founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy. He is the former president of Shell Oil Company.
John Hofmeister, former President of Shell Oil Company and founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy, explains that the current U.S. government, with its partisan squabbling and layers upon layers of bureaucracy, is ill-equipped to tackle as broad and complex an issue as energy reform.
John Hofmeister argues that if left to Congress, energy reform will come at a dangerously slow pace. Citing the historical success of the Federal Reserve, he advocates for the creation of a National Energy Resources Board, a non-political organization that could create non-partisan, long-term plans for energy reform.
While lauding energy reform laws like California's AB32, John Hofmeister cautions against creating unrealistic goals. He argues local economies could be seriously damaged if people are forced to buy clean energy before it becomes economically feasible.
