New energy sought

California needs a stable energy policy to attract investment in renewable energy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told an audience of high-ranking state politicians, scientists and business leaders Tuesday at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, UCI Chancellor Michael Drake and Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown were part of the crowd at a daylong symposium.

Schwarzenegger and Brown were the keynote speakers at an event that featured professors, industry leaders and government officials giving their outlook on California’s energy future. The seminar, put on by New Majority, UCI and the Milken Institute, was called “Energy Alternatives: America’s Challenge in the Global Economy Summit.”

In a roughly 10-minute speech, the governor applauded how far California has come since the blackouts that residents faced before his term, and he set forth the goal of being “the first state to achieve energy independence while fighting global warming.”

There was no shortage of “Terminator”- and body building-themed jokes — “terminate our energy dependence,” “flex our power” — that have been ubiquitous throughout the former movie star’s administration. He kicked off his remarks by proposing a solar-powered electric chair, but quickly returned to seriousness.

Brown and Schwarzenegger shared the conviction that the government needs to limit bureaucracy and come up with consistent objectives in order to coax investors to spend money innovating and implementing ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Other scientists and investors echoed the sentiment, including energy investor Richard Kauffman, who said the technology was available, but investors are scared of the uncertainty.

“We don’t need a Manhattan Project,” Kauffman said, explaining that wholesale technology innovation was not necessary, just some business strategy.

Schwarzenegger touted the construction of new power plants in California to address the state’s energy shortage and lauded the passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which mandates a reduction in emissions to 1990 levels by 2010.

“Too often, good projects get bogged down in the approval process,” he said.

Scott Samuelsen, a professor of engineering and director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center at UCI, described the governor’s energy policy and his energy achievements as “determinedly remarkable.”

“It’s very fortuitous that he could come with the vision and the courage that he expressed here today,” Samuelsen said.

How do you feel about the governor’s efforts to dramatically change the state’s energy policy? Send us an e-mail at dailypilot@latimes.com or comment on our website.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.