Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:00:01 -0400
Wesley Clark, four star general, former presidential candidate and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, told an audience of thousands of attendees at the Solar Power International convention on Tuesday that the U.S. “must achieve energy independence” for the sake of U.S. national security and financial stability. While Clarks says solar is a key technology that can help deliver that goal (and at one point called for solar panels on every strip mall in America), he also pushed for a balanced approach and advocated more controversial measures, such as implementing a U.S. carbon tax.
With almost four decades of experience with the U.S. army, it’s not surprising that Clark highlighted energy through the lens of national security, defense and conflicts with unfriendly nations with abundant oil. Abundant oil is actually “a curse” for countries because it distorts economies, Clark said at one point, and said he has been thinking about energy issues since the start of his career, when he conducted the first pentagon study of the energy crisis.
In Clark’s view, the path forward is a combination of policy and technology gains, and he said both a cap-and-trade system and a carbon tax were looking to be inevitable. Given that imposing taxes is not the most politically-friendly position, Clark was quick to say nobody thinks it will be a substantial tax. Al Gore, whom Clark attributed with making the U.S. realize the size of the energy problem, has also voiced support for a carbon tax.
Clark emphasized a balanced solution to address energy independence (perhaps not as much cheerleading as the solar industry wanted to hear), which would include clean coal, nuclear, and possibly Pickens’ Plan of wind and natural gas-powered cars. Clark said ultimately it should be left for the market to decide the winners.
Clark also pointed out that what is currently available in the solar industry is “first-generation” technology. The industry has better technology and the prices will come down, Clark said, adding “Can’t we do this?” Clark, who became an investment banker and consultant after his army retirement, pointed out that there are opportunities all over the world to invest in solar and energy technology — though Clark’s commitment to country still seems to come first. He ended his speech by saying, it’s ultimately not about profits, it’s about U.S. security and energy independence.
http://earth2tech.com/2008/10/14/general-wesley-clark-its-about-energy-independence/
Over the signatures of Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, the government released the statement "National Security and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century." In brief, the two officials argue that the time has come for the development of a new nuclear weapon, the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead. Because "nuclear weapons remain an essential and enduring element" of American military strategy, the aging arsenal of several thousand deployed nukes (and many more "stored") must be replaced.
~snip~
For 20 years, the United States has been ambivalent about its nuclear arsenal. That indecision was enshrined in the Clinton administration's policy of "lead and hedge," the idea that America would lead the post-Cold War world in ongoing reductions of nuclear weapons, aiming at the ultimate abolition called for by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even while maintaining a sizable nuclear force, both deployed and stored, as a hedge against the re-emergence of some Cold War-style threat. The policy was a deadly contradiction: The hedge made US leadership on meaningful reduction impossible.
The result is clearly described in the Gates-Bodman document: Nuclear nations today are feeling pressed to renew and expand their arsenals (seeking hedges of their own), and nonnuclear states, especially Iran, are moving toward acquisition. The predictable results of the Clinton hedge, that is, are now being used to justify the abandonment of the goal of reduction toward elimination. Nukes forever.
Gates-Bodman are correct to want this issue on top of the next administration's agenda, and they are correct in their implicit argument that the time has come for US ambivalence to end. But they are dead wrong in how to end it.
Last week, the Army released a new manual on "stability operations" that outlines for the Army a prominent global role as a nation-builder. The service will maintain its ability to fight conventional land wars, but the manual's release signals that it expects future conflicts to look more like Iraq or Afghanistan than World War II. While Defense Secretary Robert Gates has not publicly supported expanding the force beyond what is already planned, he has said the United States must prepare for more counterinsurgency wars like the ones it is fighting now – a hint that a larger military may be necessary.
Now we're getting to the real meat of why Saddam had to go...
Event: Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008
Location:San Diego Convention Cntr
111 West Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA
Time: 8:00am-10:00am
Today the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced the complete plenary program for Solar Power International ’08 (below). The diversity and distinguished standing of the plenary speakers clearly demonstrates the significance of solar power both nationally and globally. From politicians to production homebuilders, and from global manufacturers to financial leaders, the interest in solar at the top level of leadership across industries is increasing daily. As the largest solar event in the Americas and the premiere destination for global solar companies conducting business in the United States, Solar Power International takes place October 13-16 at the San Diego Convention Center. With an international contingent hailing from at least 70 countries, organizers expect more than 15,000 attendees including solar industry professionals, utility executives, investors, engineers and policymakers.
OPENING PLENARY – TUESDAY, OCT. 14
Keynote: Robert Greifeld, Chief Executive Officer, The NASDAQ OMX Group
Keynote: General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army Ret. and former NATO Allied Supreme Commander Europe
http://www.solarpowerconference.com/news/news.php?id=97