As the City of Burlington and the University of Vermont consider a new partnership with Sandia National Labs, an important local debate has flaired up over whether the city and university should collaborate with Lockheed Martin, a major weapons manufacturer and the current contracted manager of Sandia. Gund Fellow and Managing Director, Jon Erickson, was recently asked by the Burlington Free Press to give his opinion on the evolving relationship given his past funded research with Sandia. Here's an exermpt from Professor Erickson's response in the March 20th article:
“My work with Sandia involved computer modeling of various energy scenarios for both China and the U.S. in order to inform energy policy,” he said.
“At the time we were optimistic that this modeling research would result in intelligent energy policy, including tougher conservation measures and tilting the playing field in favor of renewables,” Erickson continued. “But I think the conclusions drawn from the Bush/Cheney crew were just the opposite: Projected shortages in traditional energy supplies meant to them that it was time to secure oil supplies globally — particularly in the Middle East.”
Since then, Erickson hasn’t worked with Sandia, but he said that the labs’ leadership has tried to outgrow a long, lingering “Cold War culture,” and might be ready to play nice with “the peaceful rogue State of Vermont.”
“You have to keep an open mind,” he said. “And you have to remember that it’s national security: The future of security is intimately tied to energy. Energy production, energy conservation. And working with them on that can have fabulous regional benefits.”
Erickson served up another cautionary slice of history.
“Remember how the Reagan Administration cut off almost all support for the American renewable energy industries?” he asked. “We lost decades. We lost the competitive edge we had until then.”
When the university recently solicited faculty interest in new, expanded Sandia collaboration, Erickson tossed his hat into the ring.
To read the full article, link to the Burlington Free Press here.