Mike Mullen, retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the newfound energy abundance in the U.S. should give the country added time to take stock of its energy future, BreakingGov reported Friday.
Edward Dodge cited Mullen’s remarks at a recent industry event in Washington that noted how the unexpected shale revolution highlighted the importance of planning toward a more secure resource.
“We need to take advantage of that, quite frankly, as rapidly as possible,†he told audiences at the Securing America’s Future Energy and Foreign Policy Initiative-sponsored event.
“Five or six years ago, none of us would have been talking about any of this… and we are not sure where we will be in five years from now,†he added.
Dodge writes that Mullen’s talk also touched on using the shale boom experience as an opportunity to seek out ways to cut down on oil consumption and help stabilize global production and supply, as well as kickstart the writing of supporting policy.
“We shouldn’t just run to the extremes because we’re in a lot better position than we were a few years ago,†Mullen said.
“We need a good energy security strategy and we don’t have one,†he added.
