Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Newsflash: 3/20

EnergyGridIQ Newsflash: 3/20/2012

By Keith Heyde


1) Responsibility in the corporate world is imperative for enacting positive change in a world struggling with indebted governments and gridlocked politicians. Many MBA programs have embraced this creed by developing departments in sustainability management and other corporate stewardship programs. Leading the way (and LEEDing the way) is Stanford University’s Knight Management Center. This program not only boasts 8 interlinked LEED platinum certified buildings, but was also recently named the best school for corporate sustainability impact. Undeniably, Stanford is setting the bar high, but it is paving the way and setting a path for other programs to follow in suite (no pun intended).


2) Who isn’t fed up with the pathetic bantering of American politicians? They are such a sad lot all fighting for the little scraps of influence they are given while simultaneously undermining one another. In the most recent accusations, Republican hopeful Mitt Romney has been tossing accusations that President Obama is to be blamed for the rise in oil/ gas prices. Even if this is more than a simply political tactic, the repercussions undermine the entire federal energy policy. When the President, whether Rep or Dem is blamed for making the energy situation in the country worse, it leads to a lack of confidence which is reflected upon all of the national energy programs. Although this ‘casting of doubt’ is not limited to the energy world, it bears particular potency in the realm of energy where most people are misinformed or ill-informed at best. Perhaps rather than levying overly opinionated claims, a true candidate for energy reform would seek to educate the population first. Why do we have mandated classes in social studies, English, etc… yet very few people even understand why the lights turn on? Oh wait… I don’t want to get into education, that’s a whole other can of ____.


3) The tax system can be used to enact great change. Due to the (relative) ease of altering individual grants and incentives within the tax code, it is one of the greatest tools the chief executive can wield. In our current situation, due to skyrocketing oil prices, President Obama is shifting the scales in favor of natural gas and electric through the use of increased grants. A large push is occurring to launch more natural gas vehicles within the United States, however, the success thus far has been minimal due to infrastructure constraints. To read more about this, check out: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2012/03/18/natural-gas-vehicles-driven-to-outpace-oil/

 

And as always, for all of your energy related thoughts and news check out http://www.energygridiq.com

 

 

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