Today, July 4th, we celebrate America’s Independence! The oil and gas industry is working toward being less dependent on foreign oil.
As Chairman of People to People International (PTPI), www.ptpi.org, from 2009 to 2013 and as Acting CEO last summer, I had the honor of working with Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of former US President Dwight Eisenhower and CEO/President of PTPI. Mary shared her views and vision about US energy in a letter addressed to the 20th Annual International Energy Policy Conference in 2012:
“Energy is more than an ‘American issue.’ Energy is a global issue, as we are all interconnected. It is the topic at hand, whether we are discussing the future of America’s energy needs, or following the United Nations Human Development Index, which many of you know relates quality of life with access to energy. As James Conca shared in Forbes, ‘The world will not be rid of poverty, war, or terrorism until almost everyone on Earth is in the middle class. And that requires energy.’ We are all in this together!
Conca further stated, ‘That energy use is one of the most accurate indicators of what is considered prosperity and happiness is a powerful concept. Even more important to national security is that energy use trends with life span, peace, and democracy.’ Conca’s view is that it is ‘unethical and unjust, as well not in our national security interests, not to ensure that the rest of humanity achieves prosperity and long life.’
As we explore the future of energy, I hope that you will remember that point: we are all interconnected. When my grandfather, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, gave his famous, ‘Atoms for Peace’ speech in 1953, the topic was atomic warfare. He said, ‘Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the ‘great destroyers’, but the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build. It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life.’ So whether we are facing the specter of atomic warfare in the 1950s or the future of natural gas today, it is you, the innovators and the visionaries, who will ensure a brighter future for all.
In my role as People to People International’s President and Chief Executive Officer, I have the great pleasure of working to connect people of all countries and cultures. Granddad believed that ‘peaceful relations between nations require understanding and mutual respect between individuals.’ It takes each of us, working together, to combat misperceptions, and it will take each of us, working together, to address the issues of energy in America and beyond. We owe it to ourselves and to each other to address these needs in terms beyond today. The future won’t wait!”
Please let me know what you think, go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com
Facebook: America Needs America’s Energy, with 11,000 supporters plus and growing. — America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan!