He recalls that, at the time of his retirement, there were some 52 permits required to build a nuclear power plant and the environmentalists could testify against the project at every step of the way. His parting words of warning to his successors in the industry reflected an emerging collective or groupthink approach to the energy situation that culminated in the current debacle. When electricity is everybody s business, it s nobody s business, he recalls saying. In a final observation regarding deregulation, though, Gould tells Insight that it doesn t matter who opposes new production plants if no one is going to build them. There are some things you can t leave to chance because they are the life support of society water, electricity, natural gas.
Somebody has to be overseeing the total picture.
Gould pauses, thinking back. We used to operate as a public trust, providing a service to the public. That s how it worked in Bill Gould s day. Ever cautious about making a remark that might seem self-important or gratuitously critical of others, Gould hesitates again. Click here for reprint information.