Moniz appoints panel of outside advisers

Source: Nick Juliano, E&E reporter • Posted: Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said today that he will look to a diverse panel of academics, former government officials, environmentalists and industry representatives to offer advice on a range of issues he will confront over the duration of his term atop the Department of Energy.
Among the 19 members of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) announced today are several boldface names in energy policy circles, such as noted author and analyst Daniel Yergin, who founded IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates; former Center for American Progress Chairman John Podesta, who served as chief of staff to former President Clinton; Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke; and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.Ten of the panel members are somehow connected to Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Moniz worked before being tapped as Energy secretary.Co-chairing the board will be John Deutch, who worked with Moniz at DOE during the Clinton administration and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative, and Persis Drell, a Stanford University physics professor and former director of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory based at the university.

“These individuals represent some of the best and brightest in their respective fields and it is a great privilege that they have agreed to offer their expertise to the Energy Department,” Moniz said in a statement. “Having a diverse set of voices around the table will ensure that the Department has a strategic approach to the nation’s energy, science, nuclear security, and environmental stewardship future.”

Industry representatives on the panel include Michael McQuade, senior vice president for science at technology at United Technologies Corp.; Martha Schlicher, renewables and sustainability technology lead at Monsanto Co.; and Ram Shenoy, chief technology officer at ConocoPhillips.

The board, which was first established in 1990, is expected to meet at least four times a year and will be divided into subcommittees focused on science, energy, nuclear security and environmental stewardship. Its members, along with additional outside experts, also will be called upon to form ad hoc task forces to provide additional input in specific areas as requested by Moniz.

The full list of members follows:

  • Frances Beinecke, president, Natural Resources Defense Council.
  • Rafael Bras, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology.
  • Albert Carnesale, chancellor emeritus and professor, University of California, Los Angeles.
  • John Deutch, MIT chemist and former undersecretary of Energy.
  • Persis Drell, professor of physics, Stanford University, and former director, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
  • Shirley Ann Jackson, president, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  • Deborah Jin, physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and professor adjoint for physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
  • Paul Joskow, president, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and emeritus professor of economics, MIT.
  • Steve Koonin, director, Center for Urban Science and Progress, New York University, and former DOE undersecretary for science.
  • Michael McQuade, senior vice president for science and technology, United Technologies Corp.
  • Richard Meserve, president, Carnegie Institution for Science, and former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  • Cherry Murray, dean, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
  • John Podesta, chairman, Center for American Progress, and former White House chief of staff.
  • Dan Reicher, executive director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance; professor, Stanford University; and former assistant secretary of Energy.
  • Carmichael Roberts, general partner, North Bridge Venture Partners.
  • Martha Schlicher, renewables and sustainability technology lead, Monsanto Co.
  • Brent Scowcroft, retired U.S. lieutenant general, former national security adviser, and president and founder, Scowcroft Group.
  • Ram Shenoy, chief technology officer, ConocoPhillips.
  • Daniel Yergin, vice chairman, IHS, and founder of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates