Former Shell Exec Talks To WITF's "Radio Smart Talk"
-
Scott Detrow
The former head of the Shell Oil Company was the guest on witfâs âRadio Smart Talkâ this morning.
John Hofmeister is the author of a book called âWhy We Hate The Oil Companiesâ â a title you wouldnât expect from a guy with his resume. Heâs also the founder of a group called Citizens For Affordable Energy.
As witfâs Scott LaMar writes, Hofmeister tackles some interesting topics in his book:
For example, Hofmeister says politicans in Washington are the least equipped people to make energy policy because they are constantly looking toward the next election. Hofmeister says political time is a two year cycle while energy companies have to be thinking ten to twenty and maybe even fifty years down the road. He also is critical of the energy companies for not being transparent and providing straight talk about energy challenges to the public. Hofmeister claims the U.S. will go through an âenergy abyssâ by the year 2020 unless everyone comes together for a pragmatic solution to the nationâs and the worldâs energy issues. Hofmeister says global warming is not the problem but that unless the world makes an effort to clean up gaseous waste, human health will suffer before the seas have a chance to rise.
Shell has made a major investment in Pennsylvaniaâs Marcellus Shale formation, spending $4.7 billion on more than a million acres in land rights last year.
You can listen to the full program here.