'There is not a single policy path or single source of fuel that can meet the energy challenges we face.' Bill Squadron (Our Energy Policy)

-Are we going forward with the energy transition?

Yes, I believe that the energy transition to non-carbon fuels will continue, just possibly at a slower pace than some may have expected several years ago.  It bears noting that this transition was never going to be a smooth, linear path -- it is affected by too many external factors for that to be the case.  Moreover, there was always going to be a period where the "all of the above" solution would be necessary -- oil, gas, solar, hydropower, wind, nuclear, even coal, etc. -- before decades from now we could arrive at a clean energy future.  Among various factors, the exponential increase in demand driven by data centers and artificial intelligence, along with the growth in electric vehicle usage,  have had a significant impact on the fuel mix and pace of the transition.  But I do believe the transition will move, and is moving, forward.

-Who are you?

As President of the OurEnergyPolicy Foundation (at OEP), my focus is to bring energy leaders and professionals together in civil, substantive dialogue about our most pressing energy-related challenges.  I first got involved in the energy sector as a lawyer at Morrison & Foerster, representing clients before FERC and working on the State of Alaska oil pipeline litigation.  I then was appointed by Mayor Dinkins as Commissioner of Telecommunications & Energy for New York City, where my responsibilities included the city's energy policies and energy-related economic development programs.  I have been president of OEP for 10 years, and our non-partisan mission is to work with all participants in the energy sector to foster serious, respectful discussions aimed at identifying both innovative solutions and the key areas of disagreement that need to be addressed.

-What keeps you up at night?

The main concern that I have is the unwillingness that some have to recognize that we are all in this together -- that every person, business, organization and so on has a stake in assuring that our planet has abundant energy that does not cause long-term harms.  It is incumbent on us all to recognize that there are different situations that the parts of our world face, and we need to collaborate in good faith to craft approaches that take everything into account -- economics, the environment, the various stages of development, technology and so on.  There is not a single policy path or single source of fuel that can meet the energy challenges we face, making it essential for experts to bring their varied experiences, skill sets, technologies, creativity and resources to a cooperative endeavor that ultimately sculpts our energy future as optimally as possible.