ACTIVITY IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
YOU HAVE OIL MOVING UP ALMOST TO
$43 A BARREL.
I WANT TO BRING IN NOW THE
ENERGY SECTOR, MR. DAN
BROULIETTE.
I’M BRINGING HIM IN, BECAUSE WE
GOT THE WILDFIRES RAGING IN
CALIFORNIA.
AND, MR. SECRETARY, I’VE
EDITORIALIZED ON THIS PROGRAM
THAT THOSE FIRES HAVE A LOT TO
DO WITH THE RENEWABLE ENERGY
MANDATES THAT CALIFORNIA INSISTS
ON.
AM I RIGHT?
>> STUART, GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
I THINK YOU’RE PARTIALLY
CORRECT.
PART OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN
CALIFORNIA THERE HAS BEEN A RUSH
TO RENEWABLE POWER, GENERATION
POWER.
THEY FOCUSED THEIR INVESTMENTS
THERE, RATHER THAN ON THINGS
LIKE TRANSMISSION LINES AND
DISTRIBUTION LINES WHICH IN SOME
CASES MAY HAVE CAUSED SOME OF
THESE FIRES.
BUT IT IS A CASE STUDY, STUART,
IN HOW NOT TO APPROACH OUR
ELECTRICITY GRID AND HOW NOT TO
APPROACH THE ENERGY NEEDS OF
THIS COUNTRY.
CALIFORNIA’S GOT A LONG HISTORY
OF GETTING IT WRONG ON ENERGY
POLICY AND I THINK WE’RE SEEING
JUST THE LATEST EXAMPLE OF THAT.
STUART: THEY INSIST X-AMOUNT OF
ELECTRIC POWER MUST BE SUPPLIED
BY RENEWABLES, SOLAR AND WIND.
UNFORTUNATELY THE SUN DOESN’T
ALWAYS SHINE AND THE WIND
DOESN’T ALWAYS BLOW.
SO WHEN YOU NEED A LOT OF EXTRA
POWER, THEY DON’T INDIVIDUAL, SO
YOU GET BLACKOUTS.
IS THERE ANY SIGN THAT THEY
WOULD REVERSE THEIR POLICY OF
INSISTING ON THE USE OF
RENEWABLES?
>> WELL THEY NEED TO DO SO VERY
QUICKLY.
I THINK THAT IS MADE CLEAR ABOUT
IT COMMENTS COMING FROM THEIR
STATE UTILITY COMMISSION, FORMER
CHAIR, ACTUALLY, OF THE STATE
UTILITY COMMISSION.
THEY MOVED AWAY FROM WHAT IS
KNOWN AS BASELOAD POWER MUCH TOO
QUICKLY AND MUCH TOO RAPIDLY.
THEIR ENTIRE STRATEGY WAS TO GO
TO 100% RENEWABLES WIND AND
SOLAR AND IMPORT POWER FROM
NEIGHBORING STATES.
ROUGH EQUIVALENT I WILL NOT
PURCHASE A CAR BECAUSE I’M
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE, I
WILL BORROW MY FRIEND’S CAR WHEN
I NEED ONE.
THAT IS FINE UNTIL BOTH NEED IT
AT THE SAME TIME.
THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
IT IS NOT ONLY IN CALIFORNIA BUT
ARIZONA AND NEVADA.
IT IS HOT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE
WEST.
THERE IS NO POWER TO SEND TO
CALIFORNIA.
SO WE’RE STARTING TO SEE THESE
BROWNOUTS.
STUART: COULD YOU EXTEND THIS TO
OTHER STATES TO OTHER PARTS OF
THE COUNTRY?
YES, YOU CAN HAVE CLIMATE CHANGE
MITIGATION, YES YOU CAN HAVE
RENEWABLE POWER MANDATES BUT NO,
YOU CAN’T ALWAYS HAVE A REGULAR
SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY?
IS IT THAT SIMPLE?
>> PRETTY MUCH THAT SIMPLE,
STUART.
YOU JUST NAILED IT.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT AS WE
RECOGNIZE, WE MOVE AWAY FROM
THINGS LIKE NUCLEAR POWER.
WE MOVE AWAY FROM THINGS LIKE
NATURAL GAS GENERATION, BASELOAD
POW THEY’RE PRODUCES ELECTRICITY
24/7 WE MAKE THE ENERGY
SECURITY, WE MAKE IT LESS SECURE
FOR AMERICA.
WE MAKE AMERICA LESS ENERGY
SECURE.
AS A RESULT WE MAKE AMERICA LESS
SECURE NATIONALLY.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE PAY
ATTENTION TO THIS EXAMPLE IN
CALIFORNIA, AND AS WE LOOK DOWN
THE ROAD, PERHAPS ANTICIPATE
WHAT SOME OF THE NEXT STEPS MAY
BE.
THERE IS SOME IN CONGRESS WHO
ARE ARGUING AGAINST TECHNOLOGIES
LIKE FRACKING WHICH YOU KNOW, IS
PRODUCING ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF
NATURAL GAS TODAY.
STUART: JOE BIDEN SAYS HE WOULD
END ALL FRACKING ON FEDERAL
LANDS BUT THE LEFT-WING OF HIS
PARTY WOULD GO MUCH, MUCH
FURTHER.
AOC, BERNIE SANDERS, THEY DON’T
WANT ANY FOSSIL FUELS AT ALL.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE
IMPACT ON AMERICA IF WE STOPPED
FRACKING?
>> I CAN’T SPEAK TO THE BIDEN
CAMPAIGN.
I’M NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
I WILL SPEAK TO SOME POLICIES IN
CONGRESS THAT I’VE SEEN BEFORE.
YOU CAN CALL IT THE GREEN NEW
DEAL, WHATEVER YOU LIKE BUT,
STUART, THE U.S. CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE IF WE GET RID OF THIS
TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY, WHICH MADE
US THE NUMBER ONE OIL AND GAS
PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, LARGER
THAN SAUDI ARABIA, LARGER THAN
RUSSIA, WE WILL LOSE IN AMERICA
19 MILLION JOBS.
LET THAT SINK IN, STUART.
IF WE GET RID OF THIS
TECHNOLOGY, 19 MILLION JOBS ARE
LOST IN THE ENERGY INDUSTRY.
STUART: THAT WOULD BE A RATHER
LARGE HIT.
MR. SECRETARY, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH INDEED FOR JOINING US THIS
