Energy Security
Energy is integral to every part of our lives. Without reliable (without secure) energy, our lives are disrupted. The criticality of energy to the functioning of human society makes it a critical security concern. We burn imported oil in our SUVs and have been engaged, militarily, for decades in the Persian Gulf to help assure (provide security to) that flow of oil. A strong economy is critical for security and our energy system can either strengthen or weaken that economy. And, there is that pesky little security challenge of climate change, to which our energy system is integrally linked. This panel will look at the term and issues of "Energy Security" from four vantage points, seeking to highlight the complexities of Energy Security and intertwined opportunities those complexities offer us.
A Siegel is on the board of Energize America and The Energy Consensus. He blogs on questions of energy and climate at www.GetEnergySmartNow.com.
The son of San Antonio schoolteachers, White helped build a law firm and managed a successful business before being elected Houston's mayor in 2003. Since then, he's been re-elected twice by wide margins. During White's administration, Houston led the nation's cities in job growth, adding more jobs than sixteen states combined. At the same time, he cut property taxes five years in a row and helped seniors with tax relief. After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, White mobilized an effective disaster response including first responders, businesses, and churches. For the leadership after Katrina, White received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
Richard Smith enlisted in the US Army at the age of 18. In 2007, he deployed to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and served as a non-commissioned officer for 14 months. During this deployment, he began blogging from the front lines on the VoteVets.org blog "VetVoice" under pseudonym "RockRichard". Richard has also written at Daily Kos, Attackerman, the defunct Wordsmiths blog, and the randomly updated Rock the Boat. He has been quoted or featured in the Wall Street Journal, New Yorker magazine, the Washington Independent, on Air America Radio, Indie Talk Radio, and several other media outlets.
