Energy Issues Under a Big Tent

Political parties talk about seeing themselves as a big tent, one where people of different backgrounds and with varying ideas can come together to solve mutual problems.

If ever there was a problem that could use a big tent to come up with big solutions, it is the issue of energy security, one of our highest foreign policy priorities. And last night, we definitely had the "big tent" part covered!

Last night, Ambassador Jeff Levine, a self-described "green guy" who dreams of owning his own wind mill, co-hosted with Chairman of the Board of Eesti Energia AS and Enefit Sandor Liive, a reception for attendees of the 2013 Oil Shale Symposium, including Estonian Economic Minister Juhan Parts and Canadian Ambassador John Morrison as well as a large group visiting from the State of Utah, U.S. Congressional staffers, and representatives from private industry.

In a time when our tradition sources of energy are diminishing, it is essential to find new energy sources to power economies and manage our environment in the 21st century. This is why Estonia’s global leadership in oil shale is playing a key role in the U.S. energy sector. Estonia brings a wealth of expertise about this “new” energy source to the table. [In fact, Estonia has been developing and perfecting oil shale technology for more than 100 years!] So it makes a lot of sense that new partnerships between Estonia and the U.S. (home to 75 percent of all known oil shale reserves) are in the offing. Hence, the Ambassador held a reception for symposium attendees not only to highlight many of these new partnerships but to share his ideas about the future of oil shale, energy, and sustainability.

We know that petroleum will likely be a part of the world energy mix for many years to come, and oil shale holds considerable promise for boosting both world petroleum supply as well as growing the U.S. and Estonian economies. But we also know that oil shale (which is not to be confused with shale gas and the debate over fracking) is widely criticized for environmental downsides. And so Ambassador Levine concluded his message with a challenge: that we keep cooperating, sharing best practices and focusing on making oil shale greener and more sustainable. If the fruitful cooperation between U.S. and Estonian IT companies is any indicator, these new oil shale partnerships may very well meet this challenge.

Post by APAO Alison Davis