The era of low energy prices is over

Ambassador Richard H. Jones, Deputy Executive Director of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) sub-group the international Energy Agency, said the recent economic crisis could lead to a premature supply crunch in energy.

Speaking at an OECD discussion on "Energy Projections to 2030", Jones said that this, among other findings, signals that the era of low energy prices is over.

Jones said that there is still a chance for energy and climate concerns to be addressed, citing the COP-15 United Nations Climate Change Conference set to be held in Copenhagen from November 30th to December 11th, 2009.

According to Jones, if a solution is not found it "wont be for a lack of resources or technology, but a lack of leadership."

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UN Correspondent Tala Dowlatshahi will be attending a UN briefing on women and violence.

The Washington Bureau will be covering a discussion on "Voices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century" at the Brookings Institution, a discussion on "World Energy Outlook: Energy Projections to 2030," a news conference by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group to release its 23rd annual toy safety report, and a conference call on how President-elect Obama can improve the domestic HIV/AIDS situation.

The United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind and solar energy

U.S. Representative Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) said the new administration must invest in environmental and energy changes and should "get started in the next six months."

In order to attain the necessary energy and environmental changes, Solis said it will take "political will," and "leadership," but emphasized it will not take a lot of money. She said that it will not be easy to convince Congress of the need for these big changes in environmental and energy policy, saying there are "not a lot of members in the House of Representatives, in my opinion, that grasp this concept."

Solis advocated "greening our buildings, greening our infrastructure." She felt this would increase jobs that would "stay here" and would allow for areas to "sustain communities."

Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Van Jones said the economy is collapsing because the U.S. economic structure over the last 30 years was "not sustainable." He felt that there are three inherent flaws in the U.S. economy: it has been "based on consumption, not production," the U.S. can't "run the economy forever based on debt," and one cannot run an economy based on "environmental destruction, not environmental restoration."

Jones claimed that energy change would not be as difficult as it seems because, "We have a Saudi Arabia of wind energy in this country, we have a Saudi Arabia of solar energy in this country." He also said that energy investment "pays for itself" because it will lower overall energy cost, and will immensely increase available jobs. He claimed that if the government invested $100 billion, "we can have two million new jobs in two years."

Energy Policy in the transition to power

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's (USCC) Institute for 21st Century Energy today announced a "Transition Plan for Securing America's Energy Future," an energy policy roadmap with 88 concrete recommendations and detailed timelines for President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress.

In order to implement a new energy strategy, the Institute recommends that President-elect Obama create a new office within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate the implementation of all aspects of energy policy, both foreign and domestic. The head of this office would have a seat on the National Economic Council and National Security Council.

According to the USCC press release, the transition plan builds on 13 fundamental pillars that the Institute released in July in an "Open Letter" to the next President and Congress that was signed by 27 national leaders and has received broad bipartisan support.

According to the Institute's plan, the 13 pillars include: aggressively promoting energy efficiency, improving environmental friendliness, increasing R&D funding, expanding domestic oil and gas exploration and production, increasing nuclear energy use, using clean coal, increasing renewable electricity sources, transforming our transportation sector, addressing the critical shortage of qualified energy professionals, reducing "burdensome regulations and opportunities for frivolous litigation, and demonstrating global leadership on energy security and climate change.

The Open Letter and Blueprint are available at www.energyxxi.org

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White House Correspondent Lovisa Frost will attend today's White House briefing. Pentagon Correspondent Dawn Casey will cover a briefing live from Iraq by Army Col. John Hort, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

The Washington Bureau will also be covering The American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten's address on "After the Election: Making the Right Choices for Education and the Economy," an event held by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to announce an energy transition plan for President-elect Obama, an address by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) on "Energy Priorities for the Next Congress," and the Senate Finance Committee's hearing on the nomination of Neil Barofsky, assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, to be Special Inspector General of the Troubled Assets Relief Program.