Recently I wrote about my participation in child welfare in my home community of Miami-Dade County. Actually, my involvement extends to the state of Florida level as I am a member of the Task Force on Fostering Success that advises George Sheldon, Secretary of the Department of Children & Families, on statewide issues related to child welfare. We had a task force meeting in Tampa last week. I’m pleased to note that the discussion about one of the many thorny issues we wrestled with at the meeting – collection, storage and use of DNA samples from foster children – was moderated by Mike Seigel, my law school roommate and current Professor of Law at the University of Florida. It was great to be able to connect with a friend of nearly 30 years for such a cause.
The point of this blog however is to briefly describe my other “community” involvement besides child welfare. This is a national level participation in a wonderful group of dedicated Americans who want to galvanize a comprehensive effort to improve the energy security of the United States. I am a member of the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC) that is composed of 10 to 12 business CEO’s led by Fred Smith, the legendary founder and leader of FedEx, and eight to 10 retired top military officers led by another legend, General P.X. Kelley, who was Commandant of the Marine Corps. The ESLC is an affiliate of a policy and advocacy group known as Securing America’s Future Energy or S.A.F.E. which is organized and overseen by Robbie Diamond.
While there are many groups involved in various aspects of energy policy, the ESLC has been given credit for its role in the passage of the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 that mandates among other things strengthened and reformed vehicle efficiency standards. We are once again centrally involved in the current dialogue in Congress about the right next steps to take to reduce the degree of our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. This necessarily involves us in an array of issues including electrification of short haul road transportation, basic research into opportunities from battery life to third generation renewables to carbon capture and storage, increase of domestic supply of oil and natural gas, environmental protection, myriad tax policy questions and much more.
Why? Because even as Royal Caribbean International goes “global”, the U.S. remains our most significant market and therefore the long-term health and security of this country is important to me both as a business leader and a citizen. The ESLC is able to bring leaders of Congress together across party lines in an era where that is often impossible to achieve. Before 2007, no meaningful legislation in this area had been passed in 32 years. It is a privilege to serve with my fellow Council members to reduce our country’s vulnerability in such a crucial area.
Traveled on Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne on May 9th to Bermuda and returned May 14th. On May 22nd was taken to emergency room of local hospital because of severe and excruciating pain in my head. Next day to New York Eye and Ear with shingles on scalp, face and in eye. Any other guests on that cruise experiencing same??
I agree with your bi-partisan approach to energy sustainability. Proper public health helps keep America strong, and energy is a critical resource that fuels our innovation as well as our lifestyles. As a result no matter the media perspective, Health and Energy concerns fall across party lines and hit every American at home.
Please allow me to evoke an image for your consideration- the beloved foster parent model. Newly emerging energy technologies can be seen as orphan children finding their way. These technologies are bright lights just as each child is. But, just as newborns, alternative energy processes need a viable home in the market place. It needs the proper foster family to ensure it’s place/home in the economic market place to grow into a full industry. Oil and Gas are old grandparents that have had the years of maturation. But their infancy were rocky and riddled with wooden oil rigs & rail lines before their modern refineries & pipelines. Any new technology will need the proper incubation time frame to grow into a viable industrial process with mature production lines and distribution networks.
A “mentor” like RCL could integrate these emerging technologies side by side like a parent/child relationship. It will be exciting to follow your work with the ESLC to see the revolutionary advances RCL could support. It is very apparent that Royal Caribbean’s engineering teams and ships could provide a great testing and birthing ground for some new exciting technologies. Adam, It appears that both of your passions actually do follow suit with one another.
Since your cruising community comes from such a varied background, please consider your blogs as an opportunity to educate your RCL community with ESLC updates. You may be surprised how the RCL community itself may become a foster system for your causes. Please keep us posted.
Wendi
Recent Cruiser
May 2009 Port Canaveral
Eastern Carribbean Cruiser
As the environmental manager of a coal fired power plant. I find one item in your blog disturbing. That item is carbon capture. There is no way we can capture the carbon from fossil plants economically. We produce to much and have extracted all the energy from the carbon by the time it is being exhausted from our power plants. Therefore you have to put excessive amounts of energy back into the system to concentrate and capture the carbon. It will take at least one third of a power plants generation to power the system to concentrate and capture the carbon. Therefore, for every three power plants, you will need a fourth to power the pollution control systems. The laws of thermo dynamics gets in the way everytime. The only real carbon free base load power is nuclear.
Yes nuclear is an alternative energy option that should be revisited for conversations. Now that nuclear has had time in operation with fair best management practices – it is not as feared as previously. ( oil, gas and coal ) are becoming full realized, the evaluation of nuclear energy as a mature alternative energy option. Even nuclear solutions have taken time for acceptance in the energy conversations.
As always, every energy production process has risks and impacts that need to be realized, evaluated and considered before a final selection for any business process.
Wendi
sir/madam:
may i know please the email address of the RCCL? I would like to complain somebody regarding our latest cruise aboard the mariner of the seas.
Thank You,
rick bernabe
Michael’s post above is right on. I have been involved on a professional level in the power generation business for over 45 years. I am also a former US Navy officer. I am familiar with the ESLC and hope it can get some of the objectionable portions of the House passed Climate Change bill removed in the Senate most notably the cap and trade tax provisions which are not required at all. Law changes to allow utility funding of conservation measures with long term borrowing (bond sales) will do much more to reduce demand and the resulting emissions. RCCL needs to again look at nuclear as a fuel option for its ships. A trained cadre of operators from many countries outside of the USA is now available and will only be increasing based upon the activities in the UK, France, Finland, Thailand, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Korea, India, China and many other countries. I would strongly suggest you get behind the recently released Business Roundtable alternative to the Obama-Waxman- Markey 1300 page disaster.
hi. great article!