Fueling the Fire: The Battle for America's Energy Future - Paperback

by Steven R. Pottle (Author)

The United States is at a pivotal point in our nation's economic and political history and this opens up several questions about our future.
-Is America facing an unavoidable decline in prosperity, competitiveness, and military strength?
-After the success of World War II and the Cold War, will we become the first generation to leave our descendants a weaker, less-affluent country?
-What role will energy play in restoring us to competitive strength and vitality?
America is in the midst of an epic battle within its energy sector. It is the oil and gas industry's shale energy revolution versus the renewable energy sector. The stakes are huge: trillions of dollars of investment, future job growth, climate health, and the strength of the United States' economic competitiveness. Fueling the Fire: The Battle for America's Energy Future has been written not only for energy professionals, but also for anyone seeking to better understand this great economic and technological battle. The book addresses the following issues:
-What core innovation sparked the shale energy revolution?
-Is OPEC becoming increasingly irrelevant?
-How will the shale revolution change electric utility, LNG and pipeline companies?
-Is America's coal industry dying?
-Should "fracking" be considered controversial?
-What is the outlook for America's solar, wind and hydroelectric sectors?
-Is America ready to fight a war against climate change?
-Can we compete effectively with China?
A key theme of this book is that innovation will continue to accelerate in both the conventional and renewable energy arenas. It is, therefore, far too early to handicap who will win the battle for America's energy future. America is on the cusp of becoming the leading global energy producer. In order to ensure our success, however, industry executives, capital providers, environmentalists, legislators, academics and ordinary citizens must begin a vigorous dialogue around key energy issues. This book will be critically important to anyone seeking to understand the issues impacting America's trillion dollar energy sector as it changes rapidly over the next ten years and beyond.

Author Biography

Steven R. Pottle has 28 years of energy project and corporate finance experience with leading European commercial banks, including UBS, Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank. He has financed the construction of dozens of large energy projects and funded a wide range of energy companies. Projects financed include power plants, natural gas pipelines, ethanol plants, natural gas storage facilities and refined products terminals. He has also financed electric utilities, refinery operators, oil and gas exploration and production companies, and natural gas pipeline companies. Pottle was also the founder of a small private equity firm that focused on financing renewable energy companies and projects. The target segments were primarily wind and solar power. In the late 1990's, he served as Vice President of Business Planning with Sithe Energies, an independent power producer. In 2014, he founded Victoram Energy Research and Consulting. The firm provides a range of strategic services to all types of energy companies, both domestically and internationally. He earned his MBA from Southern Methodist University and formerly held a Series 7 securities license.