Al Gore could become world's first carbon billionaire

[Frank]

Last year Mr Gore's venture capital firm loaned a small California firm $75m to develop energy-saving technology.

The company, Silver Spring Networks, produces hardware and software to make the electricity grid more efficient.


The move means that venture capital company Kleiner Perkins and its partners, including Mr Gore, could recoup their investment many times over in coming years.

Few people have been as vocal about the urgency of global warming and the need to reinvent the way the world produces and consumes energy as Mr Gore. And few have put as much money behind their advocacy and are as well positioned to profit from this green transformation, if and when it comes.

Critics, mostly on the political right and among global warming sceptics, say Mr. Gore is poised to become the world's first "carbon billionaire," profiteering from government policies he supports that would direct billions of dollars to the business ventures he has invested in.

Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, has claimed that Mr Gore stood to benefit personally from the energy and climate policies he was urging Congress to adopt.

Mr Gore had said that he is simply putting his money where his mouth is.

"Do you think there is something wrong with being active in business in this country?" Mr. Gore said. "I am proud of it. I am proud of it."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/6491195/Al-Gore-could-becom...

[Frank]

Elaine, is that you? Great input. I like it when you use your own thoughts and words. Yes this country needs mass transit at this point anything that can move people from one place to another when they want to go would be great. When I was teaching the school was 26 miles from my house. Thats not a far distances here in the north country to go to work, there are others that work in Porstmout and that is 60 miles. Anyway the county sent around a survey and asked if anyone would like bus service from Ossipee the town where I live to Conway the town where the school is and to other places around the county. I thought that would be great, I could levae my truck at the bus station that they were to build and ride the bus to school. But alas the first bus to Conway was at 9 in the morning the last back was at 2:30. I had to be in my calassroom by 7 and by contract I had to saty 15 minutes past the close of school. So much for the bus. OH that was 7 years ago, no bus yet.

[Elaine Friedland]

Frank,

So you agree with me that the way to reduce our petroleum usage is building up the mass transit system. Travel through entire East Coast could be via mass transit and similarly along the West Coast.