Midlands Biz Profiles – Frederick C. Smith, Vice President, Institute for 21st Century Energy

9/29/08

MidlandsBiz:
Why was the Institute for 21st Century Energy formed?  What is its mission?

Fred Smith:
We were formed 15 months ago as part of the US Chamber of Commerce with a mission to build a consensus on a national energy policy and help educate the American people about the importance of becoming more engaged in the energy debate.  Tom Donahue, the President and CEO of the US Chamber, foresaw that energy would be the biggest challenge facing not only this country, but also countries around the world and wanted the Chamber and its members to become more directly involved.

The Chamber is ideally positioned to directly engage the lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

MidlandsBiz:
Describe the origins of the Open Letter to the President.

Fred Smith:
We spent a year talking to people and studying the issues and ultimately decided that the best forum for publishing this information would be an open letter to the President.  It's short, easy to read, focused, and is directed at the 44th President, and the 111th Congress, the people who be leading us in 2009.

It has proven to be a very effective means of communication to target the American people and also the next administration.

MidlandsBiz:
Have there been any criticisms of the letter?

Fred Smith:
As with any issue this big where you will have so many different interest groups, people are always going to find something to pick at.  Some don't think that we should expand domestic exploration of offshore oil and gas; we advocate for this  in our letter.  Others oppose any expansion of nuclear energy.

We have had thousands of visitors to our website and had articles written about us in over 75 newspapers and magazines.  The vast majority embrace the 13 pillars that are in the letter.

MidlandsBiz:
What are a couple of the key flaws in this country's energy policy over the past several decades?

Fred Smith:
We lack a long-term coherent energy policy; our approach to energy policy has been sporadic, inconsistent and fragmented.

Back in the early 1970's when we were hit with the first oil embargo, the United States imported 30% of its oil.  President Nixon set a goal of energy independence by the end of the decade.  Today we import almost 70% of our oil.  This issue has been around for decades and we don't seem to have made much progress.

MidlandsBiz:
Briefly describe the 13 pillars and why you chose this approach.

Fred Smith:
There is nothing magical about the number 13 and we did not have a particular number in mind when we started out.  In fact, we had 12 pillars at our first draft.  We are confident that all of the different areas that need to be addressed are encompassed in these pillars.

One of the pillars emphasizes the need for the United States to take on more of a global leadership role in energy; you can't exert global influence until you have your own house in order. If we follow these recommendations, the United States can become part of the worldwide solution to energy rather than being perceived as part of the problem.

Click here to read the entire article.

Click to Print