S. David Freeman, who steered the nation’s largest public electric utilities with a commanding and at times uncompromising vision, dies at 94.
Freeman steered those institutions toward his vision of them, often without compromise or patience for opposing points of view, said Jerilyn López Mendoza, who served with him on Los Angeles’ Board of Harbor Commissioners.As the commission’s president, Freeman oversaw a push in the 2000s to clean up the air in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
White clashed with Freeman over what he called the “gun to the head” contracts Freeman signed during the crisis. “He signed $40 billion worth of contracts in 30 days, and on the whole, I told Dave we kind of got rolled,” White said. “And he completely defended them and said: You don’t know what you’re talking about.”, Freeman would embrace cleaner, renewable sources of energy.
He was “pretty conventional about nuclear power and the whole power business,” he told the historian Harry Kriesler, until the day two women from New Hampshire came to his office in the White House. There were plans to build a nuclear power plant near their homes, they told him, but they had done some research and figured that if people in their area simply conserved energy, there was no need for nuclear power.
“I listened to them, and I checked it out, and they were right,” Freeman recalled. “All of a sudden, it was like a light bulb went off in my head that we were just wasting a tremendous amount of electricity, and we didn’t need to build as many plants as we thought we needed to build, because it’s cheaper to conserve. That didn’t mean we didn’t need to build anything, but we just didn’t need to build that many.
Freeman remained fiery into his ninth decade, White said, recalling his 90th birthday party in Sacramento. After the party, he insisted on attending a board meeting for SMUD, the utility he led two decades earlier. White said Freeman stood up and told the utility’s directors: “You ain’t doing enough, and you’re resting on your laurels!”In his later years, Freeman became known as the “Green Cowboy,” both for his advocacy and his trademark hat.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
David Rooney Named Chief Film Critic at The Hollywood ReporterRooney has been writing for THR since 2010, covering both film and theater, most recently as chief theater critic.
Lire la suite »
David Bowie's teenage daughter's despair at not seeing mum Iman for six monthsDavid Bowie's daughter Lexi Jones has said that she misses mum Iman 'dearly' as she speaks out about not seeing her for more than half a year
Lire la suite »
Meet David and Charisse, the Couple Navigating Disability and Pregnancy on Courteney Cox SeriesSeason 2 of 9 Months with Courteney Cox premiered Sunday on Facebook Watch
Lire la suite »
David Bowie's Daughter Lexi Jones, 19, Says She Hasn't Seen Mom Iman in 6 MonthsSince she's living in New York City, the fashion icon's daughter has been unable to travel to see her mom in months due to coronavirus
Lire la suite »
Boeing CEO David Calhoun says US airline could fail due to coronavirus - Business InsiderBoeing CEO David Calhoun did not specify a carrier, but said that a major US airline could fail this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lire la suite »
David Beckham shows off shaved head and forgets to wear seatbelt driving HarperDavid Beckham was seen sporting his new lockdown look as he got behind the wheel of his £80,000 pale green Landrover for a trip with his daughter Harper, seven
Lire la suite »