Clean Energy In the News

There was a time when "Go Green" was a mantra repeated solely by environmentalists and climate scientists, when public fo rums on energy conservation existed largely outside the realm of corporations that hold a stake in resources like oil and gas.

But faced with rising oil prices, a growing base of environmentally conscious consumers, and a slew of publicity that has painted energy corporations as villains in the battle against global warming, oil and gas corporations are paying more attention to "going green."

Energy giants ConocoPhillips and BP have brought their "green" environmental campaigns to central New Jersey, funding research in emissions reduction technology at Princeton University and, most recently, sponsoring a "Conversation on Energy" forum that will take place tonight at 7 at the Tren ton Marriott.

"The oil and gas industry has lost touch with the public," said Bill Tanner, director of corporate communications for ConocoPhillips, the company that will host the forum on energy resource development, efficiency and conservation.

"Opinion polls ranked (oil and gas corporations) dead last in in dustry credibility, even below to bacco. That's hard for the 38,000 employees of ConocoPhillips to ac cept," Tanner said.

For ConocoPhillips, the meeting is a chance to remake its image by engaging in an discussion, even with those who might be less than enamored with its environmental record.

"We hope to reach out to the American public, hear their concerns, express our opinion about energy, and together look for solutions for the common energy problem that confronts our country," Tanner said of the meeting, which is one of 35 that will take place in cities across the nation this year.

But critics say the Trenton meeting and others like it are just another example of "greenwashing," a public relations ploy in tended to create the image of an environmentally friendly corporate brand while the company's business operations remain unchanged.

"This kind of thing is a big distraction," said Matt Elliot, spokesman for Environment New Jersey, a research and advocacy group based in Trenton.

Elliot cited the fact that Conoco has reaped record-setting profits from the fossil fuels that cause global warming.

"They should be taking strong action to curb their emissions," he argued. "At this point, you don't need to tour the country to know what's good for the environment."

During the past decade, many oil and gas corporations have countered criticism by investing in research and development in the public sector.

The Carbon Mitigation Initiative, a project at Princeton University's Environmental Institute that is exploring methods of capturing and storing carbon underground rather than releasing it into the atmosphere, received $15 million from BP and $5 million from Ford Motor Co. in 2000 to begin its research.

ConocoPhillips has given $22.5 million to Iowa State University for biomass fuel research, and Exxon Mobil donated $100 million to Stanford University's Global Climate and Energy Program.

Such moves have not come without their share of public outcry. Critics have referred to Stan ford as "Oil U.", and Elliot maintained that donations to universities merely "greenwash the impact" that oil and gas refineries have on the environment and pubic health.

Oil poses an economic challenge as well, according to professor Paul Falkowski, director of the Rutgers Energy Institute, who will be present at tonight's event.

"We cannot live in a sustainable world where we import 65 percent of our petroleum from overseas at a huge cost. We are going to have to change our energy habits," Falkow ski said.

It's exactly how those habits will be changed that has created tension.

"We know global warming is a huge problem," Elliot said. "For a company like Conoco, they have enough money that they should be making some pretty big, responsible, forward-thinking investments."

"We believe the largest source (of energy) will remain" fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, Tanner countered.

There is "no single bullet out there" that can meet demand, he said, adding that nuclear power and renewable energy sources like biodiesel and ethanol fuels should be part of the solution.

"The reality of it is that like all companies in the United States, (Conoco) shareholders are not there to be good Samaritans in U.S. energy policy, they are there to make money," Falkowski said.

The organization of a public forum is a "good first step," he said. ConocoPhillips is "trying to be an honest broker here."

ConocoPhillips will host the public discussion in conjunction with the Rutgers Energy Institute. Residents are invited to pose questions to a panel of experts that will include company executives, the vice president of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, and the commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.