Staff Reports
Last Friday, The Jeffersonian Institute hosted the Jefferson Energy Forum at 120 E. Austin Street in Jefferson.
Mark Robinson of SWEPCO served as the facilitator. Those attending from this region included representatives from the oil and gas industry in Northeast Texas, Northeast Louisiana, and Dallas. The six members of the Ukrainian delegation who attended included a member of the Ukraine Parliament and representatives from the oil and gas industry in Ukraine.
According to Brad Bunt, Vice President of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, the guests from Ukraine are part of the Open World program which is run as a partnership between the U.S. -Ukrainian Foundation and the U.S. State Department.
Bunt stated that this program brings professionals from post-Soviet countries from around the world to the United States to teach them democratic reforms, and business reforms and to link them with U.S. professionals so that they bring free market principles and democratic reform back to their home countries.
The energy subjects discussed included oil and gas, ethanol, drilling for brine water containing lithium and geothermal, and other energy from renewable resources.
After the forum, David Echols, owner of 1852 on Austin, hosted the forum participants for lunch.