The CEO of one of the nation’s largest energy companies doesn’t see Washington taking any steps towards crafting an energy policy before the 2012 elections.
Rogers has been an outspoken supporter of failed efforts to put a price on carbon over the last few years, and he now believes any similar efforts are years away. In fact, in recent months, Rodgers has been advocating that companies simply ignore the government and take voluntary action when it comes to reducing harmful emissions. “We can’t call a timeout. In our business we have got to keep moving. We are not like the government. We have to make things happen. We have to deliver and that’s our focus,” said Rogers at a World Climate Summit event in Cancun last December.
While Rodgers may be frustrated at the inaction on Capitol Hill, it appears he may have plenty of allies who actually work there. During an otherwise contentions hearing about oil subsidies on Thursday, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said it was a “failure” that the United States continues to not have an energy policy. Snowe’s comments were one of the rare statements made during the hearing that enjoyed support from members of both the Democratic and Republican parties.