Civil Notion is about the politics of climate change in the US and around the world. The articles that you’ll find here cover a multitude of topics ranging from Mother Nature to human nature and all that might lie between and even off to the side.
Nearly all of my professional experience is in the clean energy and climate communities. I first came to Washington before the US Department of Energy was even a gleam in anyone’s eye. I’ve represented private clients in Washington and elsewhere before government bodies.
I’ve served as a counsel to secretaries of energy and written and analyzed volumes of policy proposals on everything from the creation of the NREL, the nation’s renewable energy laboratory, to public/private partnerships. In years when federal program budgets have been threatened by hostile administrations or Congress, I’ve joined with colleagues to devise and implement political strategies to minimize the damage.
It’s my experience that permits me to offer readers a perspective not found on mainstream outlets. I’ve seen a lot in my time and I can tell you with certainty that sausage making can’t hold a candle to lawmaking.
I sometimes think of myself as a puzzle master. Over the course of a week, I do a fair amount of research and speak with a lot of people. Beyond the specific information I might need for an article, I see and hear bits and bobs of things that on their own may not seem important or even make sense. However, together they create a pattern or trend.
In my world, context is everything.
