By Ann Barlow, GreenPepper
We are getting closer to an agreement on an economic stimulus package that should create some unprecedented opportunities for this country to invest in new clean technology, emissions reduction and energy conservation. We should be thrilled. So why am I nervous?
From what we are hearing, the way the money will get divvied up is in real danger of following the same old pattern. Whoever has the best connection with the administration and member of Congress, whoever can spend the most money and wield the most power will win.
If this happens, we’ll not only preserve the cynical approach of influence peddling, but worse – much worse – we may rob ourselves of the best solutions.
Our client, Solazyme, is advocating for a better, more honest approach – even as they pay us and our brethren to make sure they are heard in case Washington defaults to its old ways. CEO Jonathan Wolfson says we’ll achieve far better results if we take a technology-neutral approach, so that rather than pushing biofuels versus ethanol versus wind or solar or whatever, we begin first with what the problem is that we are trying to solve. Then, we look at all of the companies that say they can help solve this problem and categorize them by development stage. Then, we give money to those that show the most promise – some that are approaching commercialization stage, some that have a way to go, and some whose technology may be 10 years away but shows real promise.
While I applaud the urgency and attention being paid to these issues after years of neglect, we are now in danger of being in too much of a hurry.
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