Enlarge Enrique Sanchez (far left) waits in line to get his copy of Why We Hate Oil Companies signed

Posted: June 30th, 2010 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

John Hofmeister, 62, a past-president of Shell Oil Company and founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy, is in Charlotte this week to do some consulting work and to promote his new book, "Why We Hate Oil Companies."

Wednesday morning (June 29), he took a break to speak to a friendly crowd of about 50 at Queens University. This is his second visit to the school this year.

During his talk, Hofmeister declared that the federal government, which he accused of playing politics with energy, has had plenty of time to solve America's problems and all it has managed to do is alienate energy companies, limit oil production and generate thousands of pages of legislation that doesn't get close to solving our energy problems.

That's why, he says, it's time for an independent energy agency that will both regulate all energy companies and look out for the environment. It should function, he says, similarly to how the Federal Reserve functions in its role as a banking industry regulator.

In his experience, Hofmeister says, that energy companies aren't interested in lower prices, encouraging conservation or protecting the environment. Instead, he says, those companies, "will look out for themselves, that's their job."

Without an independent agency to consolidate the myriad agencies, commissions and committees currently regulating the industry, he fears the "politically risky" environment will only further stifle innovation and that a severe energy crisis is imminent.

Hofmeister believes it will take a grassroots effort to push for such an agency. That's why he wrote his book and created his political action committee, he says.

He's already proposed his idea to Washington insiders, but, he says, "It was dead on arrival."

Enrique Sanchez, who has purchased two Toyota Priuses and sports a license plate that reads "EZ 2B GRN," attended Hofmeister's talk at Queens but says he didn't expect to agree with anything the former oil industry exec had to say.

Instead, Sanchez says, "His idea has merit." He purchased a copy of "Why We Hate Oil Companies" before he left.

Kelly Backman, who decided to attend the event with her husband, Jim, after hearing Hofmeister on WFAE's Charlotte Talks, says she won't be ready to "sing his praises or start sending e-mails" until she's had more time to research the author a little further.

All three – Enrique, Kelly and Jim – lingered after Hofmeister's talk to chat about his ideas. They feel people won't be moved to action until the energy crisis is more dire. They also feel everyone could do a better job of conserving energy, and the products – such as plastics – that are created with fossil fuels.

Kelly Backman is also frustrated with people who get hung up on the cost of oil and gas, citing higher prices at the pumps in other areas of the world. "I'd rather pay extra and do the right thing," she says, "When you pay cheap prices, someone else is paying down the road."

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