Stephen C. Ulrich jr.
12/22/04
Informational Interview Review

For my interview, I arranged to meet with Keith Butcher, Manager of External Affairs for the Center for Energy and the Environment (CEE).  I looked for an organization oriented towards progressive energy and environmental policy.  My main goal was to learn more about energy policy, and how the field operates.  In particular I how policy is designed, and how decisions are made.  Further I wanted to gain a sense of how the non-profit, government, and industrial sectors interact in these processes.

My conversation with with Keith initially focused on the CEE, and its work.  CEE is a relatively small organization structured much like a startup engineering firm, though it was initially spun off from a state agency.  It is a direct service organization in the energy policy field, similar to a non-profit, third party group in other fields, such as homeless shelters.  CEE specializes in consulting on issues relating to building construction, such as insulation, heating, and their largest project until recently was the sound insulation program for houses affected by the new flight paths for the additional runway built at the airport.  CEE also pursues other goals, ranging from rural solar energy projects to some lobbying.  They view their role mostly as handling small scale situations which it would not be economical for other organizations to handle.  

We also talked at length about how energy policy is made and implemented.  Keith said that while there are a number of places for technical expertise, the policy is largely formed by advocacy groups, industry lobbyists, and elected officials, who sometimes lack technical sophistication and are often either interested in short term costcutting, or less interested in critical technical details.  When I expressed my interest in advocacy through voter education, he pointed out the limits of involvement, and lack of time.  

We discussed where differences could be made, and resources that could be cultivated that would be helpful in making change.  He suggested that positions in government and the utility companies offered the best leverage for someone interested in creating change.  He strongly recommended experience working for the utility companies as it provided direct experience with the day to day operations, knowledge that is uncommon outside these organizations, and distinctly useful to regulatory and advocacy groups. 

I did find talking with Keith helpful in a general sense.  While I don't think I would be interested in pursuing employment at CEE, I would be interested in getting involved in the energy policy arena.  It has oriented me towards working on the government side, either in congressional analysis or regulatory agencies.  

There is certainly volatility in this field of work.  It is a fact that budgets are shrinking, and work is being outsourced from the government; CEE began in just this fashion.  This does provide an opportunity to be more flexible in how I pursue this field.  While I plan on working for a government position initially, this would enable me to transition to other work with a firmer sense of how the policy world operates in this regard.