Dodd Outlines Energy Policy

I had the opportunity to meet Sen. Dodd last weekend in a small gathering at the lovely Lazy Lion Café in Deerfield. The former Peace Corp volunteer in the Dominican Republic spoke from professional and personal experience, noting his 30 years in the House and Senate and the birth of his two daughters, 5 and 22 months, that inspire him to create a better future for America. The crowd received him warmly, interrupting him for applause several times and appreciating the opportunity to ask him several questions.

While local press reported on some of his larger events in New Hampshire over the weekend, the intimacy of this gathering allowed us to get better insight into some of his opinions. Fosters Daily Democrat reported January 21st that at an event in Dover, the Connecticut Senator noted as president, he “would support a ‘relatively aggressive program’ on alternative energy sources, in conjunction with conservation efforts and exploration of other fuel sources.”

Dodd delved into what “relatively aggressive” meant later that day in Deerfield. First he mentioned how “outrageous” it is that the United States turned its back on the Kyoto Protocol. He would like to see us at least return to the table for negotiations. He went on to say that cornerstones of his national energy plan would be conservation and alternative energy supplies, with the goal of reducing consumption by 4 millions barrels per day. In this way, he believes, the United States can be entirely independent of Middle East fuel supply within 10 years. Entirely dependent in 10 years.

It would seem that if with a bit of investment in alternatives and a renewed focus on consumption we could totally eliminate our dependency on foreign oil, more politicians would be talking about it.