On May 1-3, the US Department of Energy and the state of Michigan will host a meeting of G8 energy ministers in Detroit.
Energy Sec. Spencer Abraham, a former senator from Michigan, told a press briefing the US plans to "take this opportunity to share ideas and develop opportunities for increased international cooperation and energy development."
The G8 group is diplomat-speak for a group of highly industrialized countries that includes the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy plus Russia.
The meeting will focus on energy security, emergency preparedness, competitive energy markets, sustainable development, infrastructure requirements, and development and deployment of energy technologies.
"We are working to improve our energy security by identifying and working to develop energy opportunities around the world," Abraham said. "Diversification of energy supplies is basic to our National Energy Policy, and we are working in every corner of the globe to encourage new cooperative trade arrangements and new resources."
Cooperation in blueprint
President George W. Bush's energy blueprint, released in May 2001, directed DOE "to work with other nations to promote and implement policies geared toward meeting the energy and environmental challenges of the 21st Century."
Before the report was released last spring, Bush sought to advance the idea of a regional trading bloc with Canada and Mexico. To that end, the White House formed the North American Energy Working Group, which reviewed ways to better integrate the North American energy market and make it more effective. Along those same lines, DOE says it has taken on a Western Hemisphere Energy Initiative to work with other countries in the Americas.
"We, along with our hemispheric partners, aim to create opportunities for new investment and the development of new energy resources," Abraham said.
Some business investors would like to see some of these groups move beyond the lip service stage. But the White House's message is: Be patient. They say priorities had to be temporarily reshifted to homeland security issues following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US. US officials still say they have no reason to doubt that America's neighbors will be as cooperative on energy issues as they have already shown to be on antiterrorism measures. Some specific benefits industry could see soon include streamlined permits for pipelines that cross international borders and better coordination between countries on environmental cleanup issues, US officials say.
Public forum
As a prelude to the G8 energy ministers meeting, Michigan, in association with the US Energy Association, will cosponsor a public energy forum, DOE said.
Participants will include top executives of major energy companies from the G8 countries, with what DOE has billed as "balanced" representation from the oil, gas, and electric power sectors as well as auto- makers and producers of energy-efficient equipment and appliances.
Researchers, scientists, energy experts, and public interest groups will also be invited, DOE said.
