From the Director

Today, November 15, 2007, the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) hosted former CIA director Jim Woolsey at a gathering of legislators, economic development professionals, academics and environmentalists. Frequently called upon for testimony before Congress on energy security issues, Woolsey is also Chairman of the Advisory Boards of the Clean Fuels Foundation and the New Uses Council and serves on the National Commission on Energy Policy.  He was able to offer a provocative indication of security, science and economic implications of our national energy policy. He also offered an insightful perspective on the roles that states must play to reconcile demographic and economic growth with energy security and environmental sustainability. 

I hope you will visit IEI’s new website to learn more about Jim Woolsey and other aspects of IEI’s program of work on energy and the environment, including the 2008 annual Institute for Emerging Issues Forum North Carolina’s Energy Futures: Realizing a State of Opportunity, February 11-12.   We are excited to have The New York Times’ columnist Tom Friedman as the Forum’s opening speaker. 

IEI’s work on North Carolina’s energy challenges seeks to complement other energy efforts across the state by bringing an explicit focus to opportunities for economic development presented by a new energy economy.  We have traveled around the state to meet with stakeholders and community leaders to listen and learn.  In the meantime, over 100 diverse stakeholders are participating in IEI’s working groups to produce policy options that meet energy challenges in North Carolina. 

I look forward to seeing you in February!

Click here to read Jim Woolsey's forthcoming publication on global warming.