One of Steve Chu’s first actions when he took over the Department of Energy was to appoint Matt Rogers as a senior advisor. Rogers had previously worked on energy issues at a consulting firm and brought a wealth of industry experience to the DOE. Yesterday, at a meeting hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy, Rogers provided a high-level view of the DOE’s current position on energy policy and the Department’s view of where it stands in terms of fostering a transition to renewable energy in the middle of a financial crisis. The talk provided an interesting glimpse into how a government agency viewed its newly enhanced role as a director of investments.

Rogers had the unenviable task of selling Obama administration policy to a room filled with Wall Street investment bankers—precisely those individuals who have received bonuses that have been criticized by Obama himself. He also acknowledged that there are large segments of the public that believe the US government is incapable of doing any large-scale development work well. As a result, there appeared to be a degree of cheerleading in his talk, such as when he claimed, “energy and environmental policy are aligned for perhaps the first time ever, and has the resources for the first time ever.”

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