Chair's Lecture Series

Tuesday, September 4, 2012, 12 Noon PTD
Cal EPA Headquarters, Byron Sher Auditorium
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PRESENTATION (pdf - 5.12 MB)
VIDEO .WMV, .MP4
AUDIO .MP3

Petroleum dependence is a serious economic and national security problem for the U.S.  High levels of consumption and imports, coupled with the use of monopoly power in global oil markets and a historical lack of alternatives, have imposed significant costs on the U.S. economy. 

Today, direct economic costs from petroleum dependence are higher than they were during the oil embargoes of the 1970s and are estimated to have exceeded $2 trillion since 2005.  These costs represent wealth transfer out of the country and lost economic output due to monopoly pricing and price spikes.  (They do not account for indirect costs related to congestion, defense, or health impacts).

Reducing petroleum dependence by transitioning to a low carbon transportation system can generate hundreds of billions of dollars annually in economic and national security benefits for the U.S.  By greatly increasing energy efficiency and substituting hydrogen, electricity and biofuels produced with low net greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. can develop a sustainable and diverse transportation system while fostering a crucial link to economic and national security.

Speaker Biography

Dr. David L. Greene is a Corporate Fellow of Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he has researched transportation energy policy issues for the U.S. government for 35 years, a Senior Fellow of the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy and a Research Professor of Economics at the University of Tennessee. 

Dr. Greene is an author of more than 250 publications on transportation, energy and related issues.  Dr. Greene is an emeritus member of both the Energy and Alternative Fuels Committees of the Transportation Research Board and a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies.  Dr. Greene is currently a member of the National Research Council’s Committees on Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels and Assessment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Light Duty Vehicles.  Dr. Greene is a recipient of the Transportation Research Board’s (National Research Council) Pyke Johnson Award, the Society of Automotive Engineers’ 2004 Barry D. McNutt Award for Excellence in Automotive Policy Analysis, the Department of Energy’s 2007 Hydrogen R&D Award and 2011 Vehicle Technologies R&D Award, the International Association for Energy Economics’ Award for Outstanding Paper of 1999 for his research on the rebound effect, the Association of American Geographers’ 2011 Edward L. Ullman Award, and was recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for contributions to the IPCC’s receipt of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Greene holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an M.A. from the University of Oregon, and a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.