Marc Weidenmier, the William F. Podlich '66 Associate Professor of Economics, director of the Lowe Institute for Political Economy at CMC, and George R. Roberts Fellow, will discuss "To Drill or Not to Drill? Lessons from Brazil for the U.S. Alternative Energy Debate" at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The public portion of the program begins at 6:45 p.m., with free seating on a first-come basis.
Weidenmier, who has dedicated time to determining what the United States can learn from Brazil when it comes to energy policy, will examine The United States' dependency on foreign oil importing more than 10 million barrels a day. By contrast, he will comment on Brazil's independence to slash imported oil in just a few years' time from about 80 percent imported oil to about 10 percent, a feat accomplished through increasing domestic oil production and creating the most advanced alternative energy policy in the world.
A research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Weidenmier also is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Economic History and the Journal of Monetary and Financial History. He received his B.A. from the College of William and Mary and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He is co-author of Volatility in an Era of Reduced Uncertainty: Lessons from Pax Britanica (2006) and forthcoming Competing with the NYSEM.