Lee Raymond, CEO of the wildly profitable ExxonMobil, is the Last Man on Earth to dis-believe ALL the research on Global Warming, and to believe that … Conservation Is for Tree-hugging Weenies. Now he has an able adversary (since the White House is taking a pass). Namely Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE. While in D.C. this weekend, I read in the Post this article penned by Immelt and Jonathan Lash, president of World Resources Institute: “The Courage to Develop Clean Energy.” Speaking of the U.S., the authors write, “Our primary objective must be to revolutionize the way we produce and consume energy. Diminishing oil and natural gas reserves, continued reliance on foreign and sometimes unstable energy sources, and global climate concerns demand nothing less.” Immelt goes on to describe bold initiatives GE is taking to conserve resources and seek technology solutions that will ameliorate petro-dependency. Is it self-serving? DAMN RIGHT. GE could make a mint here. But … obviously … no less self-serving than Raymond’s screeds at Exxon Mobil. In fact, that’s the way Adam Smith planned it all along! Immelt sees a money-making opportunity from being on the side of the Angels … and he goes for it. My take on his Blatant Self Interest: Go, Jeff!
