Jerry Taylor, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, Contributes to “Renewable Energy – Following the Money”

I have 13 meetings lined up over five days next week spread out from Washington, DC to Boston, starting with an interview with  Jerry Taylor, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, conservative think-tank in our nation’s capital. I successfully appealed to Mr. Taylor on the basis that I have frequent talks with liberal economists, clean energy advocates and progressive policy wonks, but, as I pride myself on fair-mindedness, I would love to sit down and talk about different perspectives.  After all, my next book’s working title: “Renewable Energy – Following the Money” suggests a wide range of political perspectives.  He agreed, and we’re on for Tuesday morning, at his office which is walking distance from my next two meetings.

In my use of the word “conservative,” I’m not suggesting that Mr. Taylor is some sort of knee-jerk right-winger. In fact, he’s distinguished himself as a man of incredible objectivity, in a world so pitifully lacking in this rare commodity. Here he is, arguing (very well) that President Obama handled the BP oil spill very well. Try to find that type of sane, levelheaded rhetoric coming out of any of the Republican presidential candidates.