Energy Leader Ready and Willing to Adapt to New Rules

Companies and business leaders want to know the rules. Take out the controllable surprises (tax rates, energy expenditures and other costs of doing business) and they will find a way to achieve success.

You can count Duke Energy’s Jim Rogers among that crowd. Duke is one of the largest energy companies in the country with four million customers receiving power that is primarily generated by coal. While cap and trade legislation in Congress is seen as devastating to the coal industry, Rogers would rather know what lies ahead (and find a way to deal with it) than be faced with the uncertainty of patchwork regulations or making investments today that could become obsolete in a few years.

Coal will not go away. Rogers told "60 Minutes" earlier this year that carbon capture and sequestration absolutely have to happen. If Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration are successful in putting their blueprint for reducing emissions in place, Rogers and Duke can make more investments like the current groundbreaking project at Edwardsport in southwestern Indiana.

Rogers will undoubtedly share updates on the progress at Edwardsport, his passionate views on federal legislation and more when he keynotes the Indiana Chamber’s September 2 Indiana Conference on Energy Management. A critical Washington perspective will be shared during the luncheon portion of the event from Ross Eisenberg, environment and energy counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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